


Winter's Frost

by kirallie



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Awesome Baby Tooth (Rise of the Guardians), BAMF Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Jack Frost is technically dead, Jack Frost magiced into being emotionless, Jack meets Bunny when human, M/M, Partial amnesia, Poor Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Protective Sanderson Mansnoozie, Snow Queen is not nice even if she pretends to be, Snow Queen rules the Winter Spirits, Someone decided to fix that as a gift, non-con for Jack Frost/Snow Queen since she used magic on him, poor freezing E. Aster Bynnymund
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:21:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 62,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23784604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirallie/pseuds/kirallie
Summary: Jack was four when he met the Easter Bunny. When he was seventeen he gave his life to save his sister. A week later the Man in the Moon raised him as Jack Frost with the Grim Reapers agreement.When Aster met Jack Frost, there was no reason to even consider a link between the childish Winter Spirit and the boy he had once befriended...was there?
Relationships: E. Aster Bunnymund/Jack Frost, Jack Frost/Snow queen
Comments: 88
Kudos: 226





	1. ch1

_Disclaimer: Don’t own Rise of the Guardians._

_So, I decided to try my hand at a non-crossover. I’ve read tons of fics for this over the last week so some of those stories have likely influenced this._

_Hope you like it. pairing suggestions welcome._

**Chapter 1**

“Jack! Be careful!”

The four-year-old ignored his Mother’s voice as he scrambled through the trees, eyes peeled for any sign of eggs. He was going to find some this year, he was! He wasn’t too little, no matter what the other kids said. He heard a rustle up ahead and crouched down, crawling forward, what was it? He stared through the bushes and brown eyes went wide in shock and awe. It was a bunny! But it was huge! He crawled through and watched as the bunny hid eggs. “Easter Bunny!” he squealed in delight, rushing forward as fast as a four-year-old could.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster could hear kids further away as he worked to hide the last of the eggs meant for this small village. He didn’t have many believers in the colonies yet, but he was hoping for more as his story spread out from the German settlers.

“Easter Bunny!” a high voice squealed, and he spun in shock only to stumble back as a small body impacted with his.

He looked down to see a head off messy brown hair, its owner latched onto his leg. Well, it appeared he had at least one believer in this town. The kid lifted its head and grinned at him, so he grinned back. “Well, g’day there little ankle biter. Aren’t ya a bit small to be out here alone?” he crouched down and the kid stroked the soft fur of his face, surprising him. There was no fear or nervousness at all in the kid, despite Aster’s size.

Rabbits were small, cute, and fluffy…he might be considered fluffy with some of his winter coat still in but that was where the similarities ended. He was over six foot! Yet this kid was perfectly content in his presence. He reached down and picked the kid…boy up. “Where are ya parents?” he asked, and the kid pointed back to town…no just off of the town. “Come on then, let’s get ya home.” He chuckled when the kid pouted and dropped three eggs in his little basket, watching him light up. “Got a name?”

“Uh huh. Jack!”

Aster chuckled; he was one happy little ankle biter! He carried him closer to home and then set him down. “Go on now.”

“Bye bye Easter Bunny!”

Aster watched until he was safely home before tapping the ground to open a tunnel, he’d have to come back next year it seemed.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack sat beside the lake, anxious, but he’d been kicked out of the house. He looked up as the wind tussled his hair, laughing. He liked the wind, it always seemed to cheer him up. When he went home he’d have a new baby brother or sister and he was very excited but also worried for his Mom. Mrs Harrison had a baby last year and she died, he didn’t want that to happen.

“G’day Jackie,” a voice called, and Jack whipped around.

“Bunny!” he managed a grin.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Bunny moved to sit beside him.

“Mother’s having the baby…she was screaming.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster winced; he’d had siblings once, long ago. He knew what it was like to wait for them to be born. He wrapped an arm around the kid who burrowed into his side. “It’s Easter today Jackie, a day of hope and new beginnings. One of the best days for this sort of thing. How ‘bout we go back to your place and see what I can do to help?”

Wide brown eyes stared at him and he felt Jack’s hope flare. “Really?”

“Really.” They headed to the Overland home and he made sure Jack stayed outside and out of sight before entering himself, heading to the back where there was a bedroom. A woman lay in the bed, a midwife at her side to help. It had been a long time since he’d tried something like this, but he was the Guardian of Hope and Spring, represented new beginnings and new life. Well, this was definitely both of those. He stretched out a paw above the woman’s stomach and carefully let out a little magic, to ease the birth and ensure good health.

He slipped back outside and sat with Jack to wait for the birth, the kid resting against his side. It was amazing and sad how quick he was growing up; he was nine now, how many years of belief did he have left? There was a reason he never got close to the them and yet he hadn’t been able to stay away after Jack had been so excited and happy to meet him.

“Bunny?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have a family?”

Aster sighed and wrapped his arm around Jack. “I did….a very long time ago but they’re all gone now.”

“Oh…I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault mate,” he assured him gruffly, glancing down at him. “Aster, my name’s Aster.”

“Aster,” Jack smiled. “I like it.”

“Thanks. So which do you want, a brother or sister?”

“A brother.”

Aster chuckled, figured. What little boy wanted a sister?

An hour later, Jack’s Dad finally came out to get him and Aster whispered goodbye before slipping away. He was exhausted from the lead up and then hiding the eggs plus giving Jack’s Mother some help. He was going to sleep for a week!

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack smiled as he held his baby sister, he’d wanted a brother, but she would do. He even got to help name her! He’d picked Hope because that was what Aster stood for and she was born on his day. She was very small at the moment and didn’t really do anything but eventually he’d be able to play with her. He was a big brother! He would protect her forever.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“Aster!” Jack called when he saw him in the clearing, grinning at him even as he helped Hope, the toddler clinging to his hands.

“Bunny! Hop! Hop!” she called, and Jack laughed.

“Hello there little Sheila,” Aster greeted, crouching down for Hope who giggled and buried her hands in his soft fur. “Wanna find some eggs?” he asked, and she clapped her hands.

“Eggs!”

Jack was happy to help find eggs for Hope, her happiness and fun came first. There hadn’t been much to be happy about lately.

“Everything fair dinkum?” Aster asked while Hope put some eggs in her basket.

Sometimes Aster used very strange words, but he was pretty sure he knew what he meant. He shook his head and sat down on the grass in one of the clear sections since there was still a scattering of snow. “Father…he…he didn’t…”

“Oh Jackie,” Aster tugged him into a hug and Jack broke down, crying the tears he couldn’t let his Mother see. He was the man of the house now…but he was only twelve!

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack slipped out of bed to dress, creepy down from the loft to gather the parcel of food set out for him. He put his cloak on and picked up his Father’s crook, now his, before heading out to lead the flock away from town to pasture. He glanced up as he spotted golden streams of sand and smiled. He saw a small golden figure and lifted a hand in greeting even as he nimbly leapt up to a rock.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sandy looked down in shock at having been greeted, and the figure down there had definitely waved at him. He moved closer to see a young boy leading a flock of sheep away from town. It was surprising to see someone already old enough to do an adults work who believed enough to see him. He smiled and zoomed passed him, hearing the boy laugh so he turned and waved before continuing on. He wasn’t normally in this area so late…or early in the morning, but there’d been an increase in children with nightmares, so he had come back to check if he was missing something when he came through early at night.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“Hurry up Jack!” Hope called and he laughed.

“I’m coming Hope! Slow down, there’ll be plenty of eggs to find. Has he ever let us down?” Jack asked as they made their way to where Aster always met them. It was hard to believe she’d turned six today, three years since Father had died. She barely remembered him, but Jack did, and he still missed him.

They walked into the clearing and she began looking around, laughing as she found the first egg. Jack frowned; he was usually waiting for them. “Aster?” he called out for his only friend.

“Where is he Jack?” Hope asked as they gathered the eggs.

“I don’t know…something must have happened. I’m sure he’s okay though.” He ruffled her hair. “You know how crazy Easter is for him.” He sent her on her way and looked around, clutching his crook as his heart sank. Was….was it his fault Aster wasn’t there? Did he think Jack didn’t believe anymore? No one his age believed in the Guardians anymore, but they didn’t know one personally. “Aster?” he called again, hoping his friend would answer but there was nothing but the wind whistling through the trees, curling about him and ruffling his hair.

It hurt but he pushed that aside to make sure Hope had a wonderful birthday. Maybe it was like he said, Aster had gotten caught up elsewhere or called for a meeting. Once they were home he spent the day telling stories and fooling around with Hope, enjoying a day free from work, a rarity.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“Be careful.”

Jack turned to their Mother, an arm around Hope, smiling for her as he waved his other hand with the skates in it. Hope’s ice skates were her Christmas present from Santa…North as Aster called him. “We will!” he promised as they laughed. Hope ran ahead, excited. “Wait for me!” he took off after her. 

“Hurry up Jack!” she sat down on a log and tried to get her skates on.

“Here,” Jack knelt in the snow and helped her put them on, showing her how to lace them.

“Jack?” she asked quietly.

“Yes?”

“Are you really going to leave and marry Mary?”

Jack blinked in surprise. “Who told you that?”

“She did but I don’t want you to leave!”

“Hey, don’t cry,” he brushed her tears aside. “You are my baby sister and I will never leave you, know why?” he asked, and she shook her head. “Because no matter what happens, I’ll always be here,” he tapped the centre of her chest. “Just like you’ll always be in my heart,” he smiled, and she slowly smiled back.

Personally, he didn’t want to marry Mary, but he would if their Mother and Mary’s parents agreed to it because it would help give his family more stability. He didn’t love Mary, but love could grow in time. He would build a house for them and tend the flocks and one day he would have children of his own to introduce to Aster, out of everyone else’s sight.

No one knew he still believed in the Easter Bunny or Santa or any of the others because he knew what would happen if he said he did. How could he not believe in someone he saw every year…except the last two. Did Aster think he would have stopped believing? Was he staying away because he didn’t want proof? He’d have to try even harder this year to find him because his absence was also upsetting Hope and he didn’t want her to stop believing because of it.

He stood up and then went to sit to take off his shoes and put on his own skates. “Wait for me!” he called but Hope was already making for the ice and he grimaced, ripping his boots off. He was about to put his first skate on when he heard a sharp crack and Hope screamed. Shepherds crook and skates in hand, he ran for the lake. He dropped them on the ice and began making his way towards Hope, checking the ice as he went. He froze as it began cracking under his foot, drawing back.

“It's okay, it's okay! Don't look down, just look at me,” he called to her, seeing her eyes wide in terror as she shook and tried to stay still.

Neither child noticed the black cloaked figure watching them in silence from the shore, leaning on a long scythe.

“Jack, I'm scared,” she called, the ice continuing to crack. Normally he’d tell her to take the skates off so that her weight would be spread out over a larger surface, but the ice was too fragile for her to shift around that much.

“I- I know, I know, but you're gonna be alright - you're not gonna fall in,” he promised as he looked around, mind racing. They were out of shouting distance of their home let alone town and by the time anyone could reach them… he saw his crook and judged the distances, maybe? “Uh... We're gonna have a little fun instead!” he grinned at her.

“No we're not!” she wailed.

“Would I trick you?” he asked with a forced laugh.

“Yes! You always play tricks!”

Okay, she had him there. “Well, alright, well not- not- not this time. I promise, I promise you're gonna be- you're gonna be fine,” he swore as he straightened up. “Ya haft to believe in me,” he pleaded, and she gulped, keeping her eyes on him.

There was no other choice, even if it meant…he could lay out on the ice, spread his weight over as big a section as possible and then pull himself to the shore or thicker ice but she couldn’t. It was the only way. “You wanna play a game? We're gonna play hopscotch! Like we play every day! I- It's as easy as, uh, one –“ he took a big step towards his crook, flinching as the ice cracked a little. He pinwheeled his arms and laughed. “Woah!” He almost fell over, but didn't, and she laughed, just like he wanted. She didn’t need to know how thin the ice under him was. “Two!” he took another big step and she laughed again. “Three!” he practically leapt, landing on thick ice.

He took a deep breath, mentally bracing for the next part as he reached for his crook, glad his Father had told him to always take it with him. “Alright, now it's your turn. One-“ she shifted forward a little, gasping as the ice cracked. “That's it, that's it.” he held the crook out as far as he could as she moved again, gasping in fear as the ice kept cracking. “Three!”

Jack grabbed her by the knees using the crook and slid her around so that she was on the thicker ice, but just as he had feared, the momentum sent him sliding across the ice, almost to where she’d been standing. For a second, he could have sworn he saw someone on the shore as he slid across the ice. He sat up carefully and smiled, making sure to spread his weight as evenly as possible. She leant up on her arms, smiling too. He shifted carefully to lay on his stomach but then he heard a massive crack beneath him, saw Hope’s eyes go wide in terror.

“JACK!”

He gasped in shock as he hit the icy water, breathing some in before he shut his mouth. He moved his arms, kicking his feet, trying to get back to the surface but it was so cold… he struggled as his lungs burned and he gasped, inhaling more water. He choked, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t…his body went limp, sinking, as he lost consciousness, heart struggling for another minute before it fell silent, a last air bubble slipping from his nose.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

On the shore stood the figure in black glanced from the lake to where the moon could barely be made out in the overcast sky, and then back again before nodding. It reappeared under the surface, scythe slashing through the sinking child before the figure vanished from the lake, without the soul it had come to collect. Then again, it had originally been there for the girl.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“JACK!” Hope screamed but there was no movement in the water, and she sobbed as she scrambled off the ice, ripping the skates off to run bare foot through the snow to home. Mommy could fix this, she could! Jack was just playing tricks again.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Martha ran for the door as she heard Hope screaming, heart in her throat as her daughter ran into sight, bare foot and alone…. Hope grabbed her hand, sobbing, pulling her to the lake. “Hope? Where’s Jack?” she asked as they ran.

“He…he fell in!”

No…not her son! They made it to the shore, and she could see the hole, the cracked ice around it, her sons abandoned skates on a solid section. His crook lay on the cracked ice near the hole. Of her beloved son, there was no other sign.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He floated down to the bottom of the lake, laying there for hours until the sun set, and the moon rose. Weak moonlight reached the limp body but could do nothing, the full moon was not for another week.

The lake iced back over, keeping the people from retrieving the body within, flowers left along the shore for the brave young man who died to save his sister.

Every night the moonlight grew stronger and the body began to change, colour bleaching from hair and skin.

Finally, the full moon shone above the lake, all of the light focused on the boy beneath the surface, and slowly his body began to rise from the depths towards the light, the ice above him cracking.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It was dark and he was cold, so cold. He was scared. What was happening? Bright blue eyes slowly opened and stared up at the moonlight even as he was pulled from the ice to land on the lake, still staring up at the moon.

_‘Jack Frost,’_ a voice whispered to him and he knew it was the Man in the Moon, and that he was Jack Frost.

_TBC…_


	2. ch2

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 2**

Jack Frost…he was Jack Frost? What did that mean? Where was he? He looked around, seeing an odd shaped stick nearby. He nudged it with his foot and gasped as ice came from it. “Whoa!” he hesitated but then bent down, picking it up, watching with wide eyes as frost spread over the wood. He tapped it against a tree and watched as frost spread over the trunk before beginning to tap anything and everything, laughing as swirls of frost covered the lake beneath his feet, dancing and sliding across the frozen surface.

He gasped as the wind whipped around him, lifting him into the air, above the trees and he stared around in awe. He wobbled and the wind laughed, tossing him around, and he laughed.

_‘Jack! Jack! Our Jack!’_ it called, and he grinned.

“Hi!” he greeted, hearing laughter.

_‘He can hear us! He can hear!’_

Jack yelped as in its excitement the wind dropped him, landing on a branch on his stomach and the wind was very quick to apologise but he laughed it off. He stood up and stared at a gathering of lights in the distance. “Can you take me there?” he asked and then he was being carried along.

The landing wasn’t very good, and he ended up falling over, but he was quick to scramble up and brush the snow off. “Hello,” he greeted a young woman, but she was talking to someone. “Hello! Good evening, ma'am,” why was everyone ignoring him? “Ma'am. Oh!” he moved to a young boy running across the village square. “Ah-ah excuse me, can you tell me where I am-“ he gasped, hunching over in shock and pain as the man walked right through him. He stumbled back as another and another did the same. “Hello?” he looked around, scared and confused but no one reacted. They…they couldn’t see him?

Sensing his fear the wind scooped him up, carrying him back to the lake where he collapsed in a ball, hugging his knees to his chest as he sobbed. It hurt!

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack made his way back to the town, clutching his staff close as he edged around, back to the buildings. He listened to them talk, trying to work out why no one could see him. After a while, he spotted a little girl sitting alone near a fire and hesitantly approached. “Hello?”

Unsurprisingly there was no answer from the girl, but he sat on the log next to her anyway. “My name’s Jack, what’s yours? Why are you crying?”

She looked up at the other children playing and huddled deeper into her cloak. A few adults looked over and Jack listened to what they were saying. Oh…poor kid, her brother had died not long ago. No wonder she was crying.

“You know, I bet he wouldn’t want you to be so sad,” Jack offered, wanting to cheer her up. He cupped his hands, concentrating, not sure what he was doing but he wanted to help her. Slowly a single large snowflake formed and then flew up to land on her nose, making her gaps and then her eyes widened, and she giggled. “There you go,” he smiled as slowly she smiled. He reached out and let his hand rest just above her skin, so it looked like he was touching her arm. “You’ll be okay kid.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster hesitated but then entered the clearing, heart dropping when he saw all the eggs he’d put out still there. None of the other kids ever came to this clearing, only Jack and Hope. He sighed but then went to pick one up, ears twitching as he picked up a sound…a scream! He dropped the egg and took off, boomerangs ready, there were wolves in the woods and kid or not he wouldn’t let them maul someone. He was shocked to find himself at the small but deep lake and…it was Hope! She was screaming at the water?

“GIVE HIM BACK!!! PLEASE!!! JACK!!” she sobbed, falling to her knees and Aster froze.

No….no….please no. Not Jack. Not the mischievous little ankle biter who’d grown into such a fun-loving boy. Why had he stayed away? He stepped out of the trees, he had to know what had happened, to comfort Hope but…would she still see him? Death had a habit of making children grow up, but she was what, eight or nine today? Still a child. “Hope?” he called, and she looked over at him, wide brown eyes full of tears.

“Bun…ny?” she called because only Jack knew his name and the boy would never tell. He moved closer and then she threw herself into his arms, crying.

“What’s happened?” he asked and then listened as she tearfully explained Jack’s death beneath the ice.

He’d always known he’d lose the boy, his friend, one day he’d stop believing…but he should have lived to grow up, marry, have his own family. Now Jack was dead. For as long as Hope believed, he’d come to see her, he’d keep an eye on her for the boy who no longer could.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He paused in his nightly duties, listening. What was…crying! Someone was crying nearby, in the woods! It was winter, who was out so late in the cold? And worse…it did not sound like someone fully grown! He dropped lower, flying quickly to find the source.

He came out in a clearing with a lake and curled up on the frozen surface was a child, the source of the heartbreaking cries. He drifted closer and then stopped…no, this was no mortal child. A spirit! One with hair as white as the surrounding snow. He hesitated, Winter Spirits and Sprites were not known for being kind but…this one looked young, what little he could see of it, and was obviously very distressed. Could he really turn his back?

Carefully he sent out a rope of dream sand, gently nudging the boy who froze and then lifted his head, revealing pale white skin and ice blue eyes, no sign of actual tears despite his sobs. The boy uncurled, scrambling back from him, eyes filling with fear and he quickly lifted his hands to try and show he meant no harm.

“Please…”

Sandy frowned and carefully landed on the ice. There was something almost familiar about the young Spirit, at least he was relatively sure he was a Spirit and not a Sprite. Maybe he’d seen him before? He didn’t think so, he rarely saw Winter Spirits. He formed an image of a smiley face in his sand and the boy blinked, some of the fear fading a little though he was definitely wary.

“Who…who are you?”

He sent up symbols, slowly and the young Spirit watched them cautiously, keeping an eye on him as well as the symbols even as he scrambled to his feet, clutching his staff tightly, a focus for his powers perhaps?

“You…make dreams?” he asked, and Sandy nodded. “Sand…” he frowned as if struggling to remember something. “Sand…man?”

Sandy nodded happily, relieved to see the hint of a smile on the boys face. He slowly approached, seeing now the odd mark on the boys face. A bruise? But the wrong colour….except maybe since he was a Winter Spirit? He motioned to the same area of his own face and the boy flinched, reaching up to cover the mark, looking down at the ice.

Had someone…had another Spirit hurt him? He was a child! Winter Spirit or not, he was a child in body and spirit, anyone could see that. Sandy carefully moved closer, floating up higher. Wide blue eyes stared at him as he slowly reached out to touch the mark, the boy whimpering, frozen between fight or flight. He focused, concentrating, Aster was the healer out of all of them but that didn’t mean he was unable to help at all.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack froze, unable to help it, even as every instinct screamed to run, that he’d be hurt again. The touch of the strange being was…warm, soft, he couldn’t stop the whimper that slipped free. A tiny hand covered the bruise on his face from where he’d been too slow to dodge, and the warmth increased…was he…was he going to burn him? He didn’t look like a summer sprite. It was warm…but it didn’t hurt….the pain was fading! The hand was removed, and Jack reached up to touch the skin, eyes widening, it was better! “Why?”

A question mark appeared above the strange golden man’s head. He’d never thought the Sandman would be made of actual sand!

“No one helps me…no one wants me around,” he muttered, looking away.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sandy’s eyes widened at the whispered words, he knew most detested Winter Sprites and Spirits, and many of them earned their horrible reputations but surely they weren’t judging this one by the others? He flashed up symbols and the boy watched.

“My name?” he guessed, and Sandy nodded. “Jack Frost.”

Okay, that was a very fitting name, considering he could see frost spreading under the boys feet. So he asked his next question, smiling when the boy tilted his head, the fear slowly fading to curiosity.

“How old?” he asked, and Sandy nodded. The boy shrugged slightly. “I think it’s…fifteen winters since he pulled me out of the lake and gave me my name?”

He? That was odd, hadn’t Mother Nature made him? She usually made the ones tied to seasons and occasionally elements found within those such as frost. So he asked and Jack shifted nervously before pointing up…at the moon. Manny had made him?! Why hadn’t he told any of the Guardians? Had he even told Mother Nature about Jack? What if the Winter Court didn’t know he existed? That…that could be very problematic, though the idea of this child in the hands of the Snow Queen… Perhaps it was for the best that she never learned of him, though that was unlikely. Still the more secure he was in his own identity and beliefs before meeting her, the better! No one outside of her Court knew exactly what went on there but there was something about it that felt very off to him. Well, if no one else was going to take responsibility for the boy, and he really was just a child (only fifteen!), then he would do his best to teach him.

Sandy formed his dream cloud and patted the spot beside him. Jack clung to his staff, glancing from him to the cloud.

“You….want me to come?” he asked, and Sandy nodded and then was surprised when the boy’s feet left the ice, hair moving in a gentle wind and Sandy realised the wind was carrying him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“Sandy come on!” Jack laughed, soaring through the air over the ocean, dipping down to briefly run his fingers through the waves. This far from the poles he couldn’t freeze the ocean, making it fun to play with, though he was always very careful not to fall in. the idea of being submerged scared him for some reason. He shot up into the air and did a loop before dropping onto Sandy’s cloud with a grin.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sandy stood opposite Jack, whips of sand at the ready while Jack held his staff. Teaching him to fight was not easy but it was necessary. It seemed like every time they parted; Jack was attacked. They were friends and he would not leave him defenceless!

Jack was stronger and faster than a human of his build would be, but there were many Spirits out there who were stronger or faster still. Being a teenager definitely had its downsides. Some Spirits did age, if slowly but Sandy did not think Jack would be one of them. It had not taken long to put the signs together and he had to wonder what Manny had been thinking. Jack had no heartbeat, only had to breath to speak, he was never hungry, and he didn’t need to sleep, though he would rest after draining his powers too much or if it got too warm for him. Jack had not been created from scratch, despite his lack of memory…but from a human teenager. Jack had spoken of how drawn to the lake he was, that his first memory was of being pulled from its ice, and Sandy had the horrible feeling…it was because he had died in it.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack landed easily on his lake, skating over the ice. He hadn’t seen Sandy in a bit, but he understood he was very busy. He was the only friend Jack had though, even after almost thirty years of existence. Was it wrong that he wanted a family? Friends? People to share the wonders of winter with?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster made his way to the lake to talk to Jack and tell him about his family. He was an uncle, again. Maybe it was strange speaking to the lake he had died in, but it beat the cemetery, besides, his body had never been recovered. The lake was too deep for the people to do a thorough search without risking their own lives. He shivered slightly in the chill, but it felt right to tell the kid that Hope had safely given birth to what should be her last child, a little boy she had named Jack. She couldn’t see him anymore, but he kept his promise to watch over her. 

He paused as he saw someone on the lake, no…a Spirit or Sprite? There was something though…something that had him moving closer. Those clothes…it wasn’t possible? Was it? no, it was crazy, a lot of people wore the same style. His hair and skin was white, nothing like Jack’s. It was too big a change in appearance. He watched him dance across the ice and had to admit it was beautiful to watch. He kept his distance though, not in the mood for a fight.

The boy looked up, ice blue eyes meeting his and then he was gone, soaring up and away and Aster stared after him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack landed hours north of his lake, if his heart beat it would be racing. He’d been having fun, had let his attention waver, feeling safe on his lake. He didn’t know what kind of being that furred creature/person was, but he looked strong and fast. Better to avoid that kind. He could fight now, with his staff and powers, but that didn’t mean he liked fighting, even in winter on his home turf where he was strongest.

He settled on the edge of a glacier, watching a bear in the distance. The next time he saw Sandy and described the Spirit he was shocked to find out he’d run from the Easter Bunny.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It was summer, so Jack had retreated north to avoid the heat, enjoying the endless frozen landscape and the animals that called it home. It was peaceful if lonely, but he had spotted a few small groups of people near the coast, he thought they might be Russian from the few words he’d overheard. Why would humans want to live in such a cold place?

“So you are the young Winter Spirit I have heard whispers of,” a woman’s voice called, and Jack scrambled to his feet, clutching his staff. Before him stood a woman unlike any he had ever seen before. She was tall and slender, her skin paler than even his own. The long hair that flowed around her was a silvery white, braided in sections with others left free. She wore a gown of white with a silver cloak…and a crown made of intricate ice and an elegant staff of the same. “What are you called young one?” she asked, a smile teasing at her lips and he swallowed.

“Jack Frost.”

“Do you know who I am?”

“No ma’am.”

“I am the Snow Queen, ruler of Winter. All Spirits and Sprites are members of my court.”

“Oh…” Why hadn’t Sandy mentioned her then?

“Come Jack, it is time you come home. There is so much for you to learn.” She held his hand out to him and he hesitated, unsure, but…if she was the Queen of Winter then he should go with her, right? He didn’t see the glint in her eyes as he walked towards her and took her hand. The snow swirled around them and when it settled they were gone.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

That had been very easy, far easier than she had thought it would be. Rumour said the boy had been created by the Man in the Moon but if that were the case he would never have agreed to come willingly. It hadn’t taken much to ensure he was isolated from the other Spirits; rumours being spread of Jack Frost who cared for nothing but tricks and his own fun. He was born of Winter and she had felt his potential from the moment he was created, such power could only be permitted to exist under her control. Left alone, he could one day become a threat to her position and that could not be allowed to happen.

She guided him through the halls of her palace with a hand on his shoulder, seeing him staring around in awe. He was young for a Spirit, but not as young as she’d first thought in appearance. There were lingering traces of boyhood in his features and long limbs, but he was not a child. It had been a long time since she had had a loyal General but perhaps in Jack Frost she had found a new one.

Beira opened a door of ice and motioned him inside. “These are your rooms Jack, I hope you will find them comfortable,” she smiled as he stepped inside to look around. Everything was made of ice and snow, though the bed did have sheets and a blanket since she was unsure of his exact tolerances. Every Spirit was as unique as a snowflake after all. Though, given his body temperature, the blanket was likely unnecessary.

“Thank you, your Majesty,” he shifted slightly, obviously nervous and she smiled, reaching out to cup his cheek in her hand.

“Only the best for my subjects,” she promised before leaning in and kissing him. He stiffened in shock, a hand moving up to try and push her away before it dropped to his side, his staff clattering to the ground from his other hand even as his eyes closed and his body relaxed. His lips parted for her and she coaxed him into responding before pulling back. She watched as he blinked, dazed.

To mortals she could give three kisses; the first to numb them to the cold, the second to make them forget, and the third to kill. For Spirits it was different, the first kiss still numbed them, but not to the cold that was a part of them, no it numbed their emotions. It was much easier to rule when her subjects felt little emotion and therefore had no reason to argue against her orders. Before her eyes the childlike wonder began to fade, the brilliance of his eyes dulling somewhat. There was no need of the second kiss with him, let him keep his memories of years of isolation and abuse at the hands of others, it would make him all the more loyal. The third kiss she would give once his training was over and he was ready to take his place at her side, it would bind him to her forever.

Instead she kissed his brow and led him to the bed, tucking him in like he was a child, seeing his confusion. “Sleep now Jack,” she soothed, running her fingers through wild white hair. The magic if her kiss continued to sink into him as his eyes closed.

_TBC…_

_In case you didn’t guess, the girl Jack talked to was Hope._

_Poor Jack is now in the clutches of the Snow Queen._


	3. ch3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So at the start of this chapter, Jack is physically 17 but has been a Spirit for 32years. Just in case people were worried about the Snow Queen kissing him.

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 3**

Jack sat against the Throne, his Queen’s fingers carding absently through his hair, as he lazily watched the Court. He pressed into her touch, eyes half closed, even as two Sprites began squabbling, not feeling anything as he watched the stronger rip the weaker apart. Nothing mattered except his Queen, he was a Winter Spirit, he was made to obey her. Wasn’t he?

She was having him trained, to ensure he would be a good General, not like the last one who had disobeyed and been destroyed. He would do better, he was loyal. The Palace was a dream, there was no summer, no heat, only the cold of Winter. It made it impossible for him to tell how long he had been there, but he didn’t care. This was their realm, the only place they were truly safe from others.

Why would anyone want to leave? Being away from her, he felt…empty, he felt almost nothing at all, numb. Had it always been like that? His memories felt flat, grey, lifeless. Had it always been like that? There had been….someone who was so bright….Sandy? He was…he was late meeting him. Sandy would…worry. That was wrong, Sandy was his….his friend.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Beira glanced down at the young Spirit at her feet even as she kept up the soothing strokes through his hair. The simple white tunic and leggings were much better than those ragged old clothes he had arrived in and his staff was safely locked away for now. He would get it back once bound eternally to her and became completely froze, unchanging forever. It was why he had to be trained first, he would be unable to learn once bound.

She felt something shift, a slight tension and tightened her grip on his hair, using it to tug his head back, stretching his neck back but he didn’t try to struggle, a small noise of pleasure passing his lips instead. His emotions may be numbed but that did not stop his body feeling physical gratification or pain. To her shock, his eyes showed confusion and concern. He had been with her for a year already, it should be impossible for him to feel anything but numb.

“What worries you so young one?” she asked, perhaps she would need to give him the memory kiss after all.

“Sandy will be worried about me,” he answered, voice dull but not as much as it should be.

She caressed his cheek and he leant into her touch. “Who is Sandy?”

“My…friend.”

“But you have no friends outside my realm dear one,” she told him, and he frowned slightly.

“N…no…Sandy is my friend.”

She used the hand in his hair to pull him to his feet and then turned him, forcing him to straddle her lap even as he whimpered, caught between pleasure and pain. “You have no friends my love, no companions or acquaintances before coming here,” she told him firmly, seeing some brightness return to his eyes, fear and confusion growing, and then pulled him close, kissing him.

Jack struggled for all of two seconds before relaxing as the magic sank into him, into his memories. He whined softly, utterly pliant beneath her hands and she smirked into the kiss, a hand slipping up under his tunic, teasing his skin. She broke the kiss and he stared at her with glassy eyes. He may not need to breath, but she did.

“Who is Sandy my love?” she murmured, nipping at the pale skin along his jaw and he gasped. “Answer me Jack,” she pushed, and he blinked slowly.

“Sa…ndy?” he slurred. “Don’…kn’w.” His eyelids fluttered, eyes totally unfocused now, and she waved a Yuki-onna forward and she took Jack back to his room to sleep off the magic. Whoever this Sandy was, when Jack woke he would be completely gone from his memory.

Would she need to do something to keep him under control that she had never had to use? Her predecessor had favoured the method, but she preferred the kiss. It may not be enough with young Jack though; his power was growing as time passed but she had never thought he would be so powerful as to require both methods. She would need to search her storeroom for the last of them. For now, she would wait and see what erasing those memories changed, feeling for a friend had perhaps been strong enough to keep from being numbed fully. Without them he may fully succumb.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He was officially worried. They sometimes went months without seeing each other, they both had their jobs to do after all. But Jack would not go for over a year without sending word at least via the Wind, the Wind that had been too quiet the whole time. He had checked his lake every time he travelled past it and there was no sign Jack had been there at all either. As much as he had kept Jack secret for his own safety, he needed help to find him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

She watched as Jack trained against three opponents; an Ijiraq, wendigo, and frost giant. He was doing well, especially for someone not even half a century old. He wielded the frost as if it were literally a part of himself, but he needed to learn to fully wield all aspects of Winter. It had been a month since she had given him the second kiss and all was well, his eyes once more dulled, emotions numbed, the perfectly obedient General-in-training.

When Jack hit the floor and didn’t rise she waved off the approaching Healer and went to him herself. He was pushing himself up to his knees when she reached him and he bowed his head, a hand pressed to his ribs. If his body was not basically dead he would be in agony. The only reason he could feel pain or pleasure was because she used magic.

“You did well my love,” she praised, watching for any sign of an emotional response but there was nothing. A finger under his chin made him lift his head and then she pressed up, forcing him to his feet. “Come,” she commanded and then left the courtyard where he had been training, sensing him following her. She led him to her chambers, somewhere he had never been before.

“Strip and lay on the bed,” she ordered as she moved to retrieve a healing salve. When she turned back he was on her bed on his back, completely naked. She spread the salve over his ribs, seeing where frozen blood had pooled against the skin in reaction to the injury, Jack never flinching.

“I think such a brave warrior deserves a reward,” she offered once done and he watched her but remained silent and unmoving. She kissed him, a kiss without any magic and he responded even as she carefully stimulated his body with magic. It had been too long since she’d had a lover and there was no rule saying he couldn’t be both lover and General.

,,,,,,,,,,

Aster frowned as he ‘listened’ to Sandy. “Yeah…think I might know which Spirit ya mean, mate. Saw him a few years back, dancing on a lake but he took off when he saw me.”

Sandy nodded at him, flashing up images.

“So he didn’t know who I was? Why be afraid of me though?” Sure, he wasn’t particularly fond of Winter Spirits and the like, but it wasn’t like the kid had been messing with his holiday or kids. He grimaced at Sandy’s explanation, no wonder he’d chosen to flee. “Sandy…mate…I hate ta say it but…”

Sandy nodded sadly, having obviously thought of it. Young Spirits did not always live to see their first half century let alone a full one, especially winter ones. There was also the chance he was with the Snow Queen or Mother Nature.

“I don’t think anyone knows that she does to them but if he’s with the Snow Queen…” then the bright Spirit Sandy called friend likely no longer existed.

“Buck up, he’s probably holidaying under an iceberg or somethin’. I’ll keep an eye out.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack walked through the Palace, no longer wearing the plain leggings and tunic he once had. His training was almost complete and soon he would be named General Winter. He thought if he felt emotion, he would be excited. He would do anything his Queen commanded of him without hesitation. He was respected by the other Spirits and Sprites for his power, skill, and the fact that he was the only one she ever called to her bed.

He entered the Throne Room and dropped to his knee, head bowed, at the base of the stairs, waiting for her to speak or command him to move.

“For a decade of mortal time you have trained hard to take your place as General Winter. There is one last test for you to face outside of this realm,” she announced, and he remained utterly still, listening intently to her every word.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack stood on a roof, watching the mortals as they went about their day. He felt nothing as he saw children playing in the spring mud or picking flowers or even doing chores. They meant nothing to him, they were just a means to an end. He closed his eyes and raised his arms, reaching out with his powers. Even with numbed emotion, a smirk briefly touched his lips as the clouds began to darken and the temperature drop.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

The little fairy shivered as the temperature dropped, she was running so late! It was daytime! She should have been back at the Palace with her Mother and Sisters hours ago! That nasty fire Sprite was going to be in so much trouble when her Mother found out what he had tried!

Why was it getting so cold and dark? She looked around in confusion, seeing the mortals rushing for their homes as the sky became black under heavy clouds…snow clouds. But how? Her eyes widened, magic! It was no natural storm, someone was making it, but why? She darted higher, looking for who was responsible. As the snow began to fall she wrapped her arms around herself for warmth. There! On the roof was a boy…but no mortal boy. He had to be some sort of Winter Spirit; the storm was too powerful for a Sprite.

She hesitated, she had no defences except her speed and in the cold she’d be slower but…the children! She nodded and flew over to him, seeing his head tipped towards the sky, eyes closed, and arms raised. She let loose, telling him to stop the storm immediately! He opened his eyes and she gasped, such a pretty colour but…dull…dead, his eyes shouldn’t look like that and she just knew it. He was pale, his hair as white as the snow, and when his lips parted slightly she glimpsed pure white teeth too.

Despite her scolding and interrupting him, his face was blank. She’d heard that Winter Spirits were either cruel or cold, but she’d never seen one so close before. He tipped his head to the side, watching her, and despite the dead look in his eyes she didn’t feel scared or in danger.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack stared at the tiny…fairy? He tilted his head to the side, staring at her, as she squeaked and squealed at him, he supposed he should be feeling curious? He thought she was angry? It was hard to tell emotion when his own were a vague memory. “My Queen commands this storm must happen little fairy. Fly away if you do not wish to die,” he warned flatly. The tiny fairy carried a tooth in a small sack at her waist, which meant she belonged to the Tooth Fairy, one of the so-called Guardians. His Queen had warned them all not to cause trouble with them and so he would warn her away rather than risk her Mistresses wrath.

He blinked as a tiny hand slapped his cheek, was this…shock? Even the fairy seemed surprised by what she had done. She squeaked at him again and then pointed down and he found himself looking where she indicated to see a small child stumbling in the deepening snow.

“Mama!! Mama!!” the child wailed, collapsing from the cold.

Jack almost stumbled as the wind whipped up around him.

_‘Jack! Our Jack back! Stop Jack! Hurting children! Where did you go?’_

The wind…could speak? When the Snow Queen had given him the Kiss of Memory, she had not just erased his memories of the Sandman, but also of the Wind, his only other companion since awakening as Jack Frost.

What was happening? He looked back down at the child and then dropped from the roof, standing in front of the huddled child, seeing the lips beginning to go blue. The little fairy and the Wind were angry at him for following his Queen’s command. What did a mortal child matter? He didn’t even notice the hand he lifted to rub at his chest. The little fairy flew down and tugged at his hand, trying to pull him closer to the child.

“She cannot see me, what would it matter? Leave little fairy, before you freeze,” he warned again. She shook her head, pleading with him, he didn’t need to understand her language to know that much. The wind spiralled around them and then vanished.

,,,,,,,,,,,

“Whoa!” Aster yelped as the wind suddenly slammed into him, pushing him. “What the…” it hit again pushing at him and he frowned before remembering something from years ago. Jack Frost…who spoke with the wind according to Sandy. “Jack?” he asked, and the wind pushed again. “Alright, alright, I’m going!” he was crazy following it but if the kid was back and the wind so desperate how could he ignore it? Sandy deserved to know what had happened to his friend. And as much as he hated to think it, the Spirit may have to be dealt with.

He raced along, following the wind, stopping when he saw the black clouds and heavy snowfall. Sandy wasn’t going to like this at all. He braced himself and then plunged into the unnatural storm.

What he found was interesting and alarming. A human child, half frozen and in desperate need of help, a white-haired spirit and…one of Tooth’s fairies? The fairy was telling the spirit off something fierce, pointing at the child and as Aster moved closer he saw the expressionless face and dead eyes….nothing like the child he had seen dancing on the ice. The Snow Queen had taken him then. He reached for a boomerang but hesitated because he was letting the fairy yell and hit him without retaliating. He didn’t know the kid, but it was the wrong time of day for Sandy to be anywhere near where they were, he’d be on the other side of the world.

He needed to get the storm stopped and help for the child, without letting it escalate to violence. It was Spring, his season, but with this much snow and ice around that didn’t really mean much.

“Jack?” he called out to get the boy’s attention. “What’re you doin’ mate? You’ve had Sandy really worried about ya.” He moved slowly closer and empty blue eyes stared at him. Yeah, that wasn’t at all creepy.

“Leave,” the boys’ voice was as hollow as his eyes.

“This isn’t you Jack! You like tricks and snowball fights, not killin’ kids in storms!”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“Your name is Jack Frost, you’re forty years old, and a Winter Spirit. You used to hang around a lake by the town that is now called Burgess. You use a staff to create frost and the Wind carries you to fly. Want me to continue?” he answered, trying to get some kind of reaction, some sign the boy was still in there. He wished he’d had the chance to speak to him that day at the lake, he’d have at least some vague connection to use. “Come on Jack, what did they do to you? Sandy’s been going crazy trying to find you in every spare second he’s got.” He pushed and then his heart plummeted with the boy’s answering question.

“Who is Sandy?”

What had she done to him? He’d heard old tales of the Snow Queen taking mortal boys and the three kisses, but Jack was a Spirit! That wouldn’t work on him…would it? Had she made him forget himself? “Someone who cares a lot about you.” He moved closer, kneeling down and picking the unconscious child up, holding her to his chest to warm her up as much as he could.

,,,,,,,

The little fairy flew up in Jack’s face, pressing small hands to his cheek, beseeching him. If the Easter Bunny thought the boy spirit was good then he was! Someone had obviously hurt him to make him do this, to kill the joy inside him. If only she had his tooth canister then she could help him remember who he really was and not this dead monster! She pressed close to cold skin, trying to warm him up and then she shivered and sneezed.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

She was warm…nothing was ever warm…she pressed against his face and then shivered and sneezed and he lifted a hand slowly, cupping it around her carefully. He lifted her up in his hand, staring into mismatched eyes. They were so wide, pleading…his head hurt…why did his head hurt?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster tensed when the boy picked the fairy up, but his touch was gentle as he lifted her to eye level. He moved over to a nearby doorway and pounded on it with his fist, managing to force it open enough to shove the kid through and hopefully to relative safety. He then turned back to the two and moved closer. There! A split-second flicker in blue eyes. He braced himself for potential violence and then reached out and put a paw on Jack’s shoulder. He was freezing cold!

“Come on Jack, you know this is wrong. People are going to die if the storm doesn’t stop. Children will die! You care about kids; you just need to remember.” He didn’t dare saw her name or blame her for his lack of emotion and memory, who knew how the kid would react or if she would hear and retrieve him.

Blue eyes looked past the fairy to him, and he saw it again, a flicker of confusion, deeply buried.

“You once told Sandy that you wanted to be a different kind of winter, not the kind that kills but one that brings fun. You can do it.” he urged as the fairy cuddled Jack’s hand, stroking cold skin, trying to reach him in her own way when there was a rather large language barrier.

“I…fun?” he winced and shook his head and Aster gripped his shoulders gently.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Fun? What was fun? His chest hurt; his head hurt…he didn’t understand. The bunny seemed to know him, claimed he had a friend, Sandy…but he didn’t know anyone called Sandy. He had no friends. Winter was cold, Winter killed.

He landed in the snow as the bunny was blasted away from him and then he was being pulled to his feet by a Yuki-onna, several Wendigo getting between the bunny and him and then they were gone, back to the Winter realm.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“Jack!” Aster screamed as the storm went still, the clouds beginning to clear as soon as they vanished. He’d been getting through to him! He stood up and brushed the snow from his fur before his eyes widened. “Hey? Little fairy?” he called, dread pooling in his belly when there was no answer. Tooth…was going to kill him.

_TBC…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can all guess which little tooth fairy that was, right?


	4. ch4

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

_So the big fight and then snowball fight at the end of the movie…several of the kids aren’t wearing shoes! Wouldn’t their feet be utterly frozen? Ouch!_

**Chapter 4**

Jack collapsed to the frozen floor, head and chest aching, his Queen would make it better, make it stop. He pushed himself to his knees, head bowed.

“Oh my love,” she whispered, and he felt her fingers in his air, a whimper slipping free at a spike of pain.

“Please…make it stop,” he begged.

“Shhh,” she stroked his cheek and he leant into her touch, hearing her speak to those who had come for him.

He heard angry squeaking and blinked, forcing himself to look, seeing the little fairy flying in his Queen’s face berating her. No… she lifted her hand, cold gathering and Jack moved without thought, taking the blast of ice in the fairy’s place, gasping in pain as it pierced his side.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, and he stumbled.

“She is the Tooth Fairy’s…you tried to…” he shook his head, hands pressed to his temples.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

She was shocked he took the attack for the tiny Tooth Fairy. Was it this little thing that was breaking her power over him? Tooth had so many of the things, she’d never miss one. It had to die and then Jack would be dealt with. Thankfully she had found what she needed in one of oldest storerooms.

“Step aside Jack. It harmed you and will pay for it,” she commanded.

Jack looked up at her, eyes full of confusion and some pain but there was something else as dull blue began to brighten. He straightened up, hands balling into fists. “No,” he whispered, and the room went utterly silent.

“What did you say?” she demanded.

“No,” the word was louder this time. He turned and held his hands out, the little fairy landing in his cupped hands, cuddling against his frozen skin.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack took a shaky breath, feeling pain radiating out from his side without any magic to help him feel it. He looked down at the tiny fairy in his hands, staring at her mismatched eyes, seeing the…the warmth…hope…he pressed her to his chest gently, freeing a hand as he stared at his Queen (not his Queen?). “No. I won’t let you hurt her.” It was hard to think but he knew he couldn’t let her be hurt, not because of him.

He….he needed….he stepped away from the Queen, struggling to stay on his feet. He felt something…calling to him and his fingers flexed as if gripping…his staff! Where was his staff? To the shock of everyone watching something flew through the air to slap into his hand and Jack gasped as the wood immediately frosted over.

“Jack let the fairy go, let me stop the pain.”

“NO!” he shouted, bright, ice blue, eyes staring at her because she was the biggest threat, but he could feel others closing in. He slammed his staff into the floor, sending out ice shards in all directions, buying himself space. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, why… away, he had to get away! Home! The Lake…his lake….he focused on it as best he could, reaching with his magic, reaching for the magic of the realm like she’d taught him, felt it closing, trying to trap him. No more!

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Beira stared at the empty space where Jack Frost had stood. The Throne Room emptied in record time, everyone moving to get away as she unleashed her rage but eventually she calmed and smirked. Let him have his freedom for now, Winter was patient. He could regain his emotions, but he would never remember what he had been made to forget. Her magic would always be a part of him now and she would reclaim him. Let him see just how cruel the world was to their kind for a few centuries, he would come crawling back and this time she would take no chances with controlling him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack appeared on his lake and collapsed, barely able to unclench his fingers from around the fairy before he was convulsing on the ice, staff rolling away from him as he writhed, blue eyes wide as he choked and gasped. “H….el...p…” he pleaded to the moon above.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“I’m sorry mate, I was getting through to him but this time the Queen won’t let him go until there’s nothing left of the kid,” Aster finished telling Sandy who had sand coming out of his ears in anger. They both ducked slightly as the wind picked up and then moonlight fell around them, images forming on the ground. As soon as they were done Aster thumped the ground, sending them flying into his tunnels, sandy floating on a cloud as they raced through them, popping up beside a frozen lake only to freeze in shock.

In the middle of the lack, bathed in moonlight, lay Jack Frost, body twisting and convulsing, his staff lying nearby, and the little fairy fretting over him. They rushed over to the two and Aster gripped Jack’s shoulders, cursing as the cold instantly seeped through his fur, he was colder than he had been while causing that storm! He glanced down when Sandy tugged and then swore again at the sight of blood on the ice, old, frozen blood.

“Jack? Can ya hear me?” he called and glassy blue eyes flickered open, rolling in his head. “Come on kid, stay with us.” How had he gotten away from the Snow Queen? This close, looking down at the pale face…he looked so much like another Jack he’d known…was it possible? Sandy had said the boy had no memory before waking in the lake…the same lake Jack had died in.

He shook off his thoughts and ripped the tunic like shirt to find the wound, finding a jagged tear in his side. He listened to the little fairy as she slowed down enough to explain how he’d been wounded, protecting her! He was breaking the Queen’s control of him somehow. He pulled out some medical supplies and went to work, not entirely sure what would work. So close and without the howling of a storm, he could hear Jack gasping for air but…there was no comforting beat of a heart, even a racing one due to pain. It seemed the breathing was old reflex and not needed. The kid was…dead? Another tick in the box of this being the kid he’d known.

He looked up to find Sandy gently petting white hair as the kid thrashed weakly, whimpering in pain and…fear. Sandy smiled sadly and then hit Jack with a heavy dose of dream sand. Aster was shocked as he watched the boy struggle against it for a minute or two before his eyes shut and his body relaxed a lot.

They could all feel Jack’s magic fighting back against the Snow Queen’s, Manny helping now that Jack was asleep and unable to fight the intrusion. He was still twitching in his sleep, but he looked a lot more peaceful.

The little fairy landed on Aster’s shoulder, obviously worried. He reached up to gently run a paw over her soft feathers. “There’s nothing more we can do. The Man in the Moon’s gonna lock his memories of all this away, hopefully that’ll bring back the old Jack fully.” His explanation got a mournful little noise. “Hey, buck up little Sheila. You just need ta meet him again.”

Sandy flashed up images for them both, showing how lonely Jack had been.

“See, he wants friends and he…he won’t remember Sandy.” The memories of his time with the Snow Queen could be blocked, locked away deep in his mind but the memories she had destroyed couldn’t be returned.

They watched as the twitching body floated above the ice which then cracked, revealing the water, Jack being lowered into it, the ice refreezing. “Come on, you better get home. We’ll keep watch for when he wakes.” If he had been made in the lake then its waters would help break the hold of her magic on his body. This time, he would be taught who to avoid and where to avoid, to keep her from taking him again.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sandy looked down at the lake and then landed when he saw the ice beginning to crack under the light of the full moon. It had been two months since they had found him on the lake, fighting the Snow Queen’s magic. That it had taken so long for him to heal… it hurt, that Jack no longer knew him, but they could start again. He watched the pale body rise from the lake and be set on the ice, collapsing to his knees, looking around in obvious confusion.

Sandy landed and smiled at him, waving and Jack reached for his staff, watching him warily.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

What had happened? Why was he…under the lake? He felt the warm light of the moon, lifting him from the frozen water again but this time it remained totally silent as he was lowered to the reformed ice, collapsing to his knees, feeling a little weak. Had he been badly injured maybe? He…he was Jack Frost…he brought frost…everything felt all jumbled up in his head, hard to remember.

He tensed as a small golden figure landed on the land, smiling and waving. Jack reached for his staff, wary. One thing he did remember was other Spirits and Sprites attacking him just because he was a Winter Spirit. The other spirit just smiled and then images slowly formed over his head in the sand.

Jack watched, head tilted, curious, even as something said he was safe, relaxing a little as he watched. “Sand…man?” he tried, and the figure clapped before showing more. “Sandy?” that got an enthusiastic nod and Jack couldn’t help smiling slightly. “My name? Jack Frost.” He waited for Sandy to react badly, but the small man just smiled again and slowly Jack smiled back.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster kept his distance, unable to bring himself to actually interact with the boy. It had worked thankfully, the Spirit dancing on the frozen lake was the one he had seen doing the same thing once before. He laughed and smiled and caused snowball fights with kids.

The clothing he’d worn for the Snow Queen had been replaced by clothing Aster had sourced since Sandy knew even less of human fashion than he did. Brown breeches as close in colour as he could find to the deerskin trousers Jack had originally worn, a white shirt and a dark blue jacket, all of which he had then tailored to fit Jack and not get in his way when flying or being very acrobatic. Sandy had been the one to give the clothing to Jack since he had woken without a shirt and blood stains on the white leggings he had been wearing.

Sandy had become Jack’s friend again, this time teaching him about the Snow Queen and how to avoid her. He knew he could approach, try to be the kids friend but jack was still attacked by other Spirits for being what he was, if it was known they were friends that would become worse and he didn’t want that for him. No one would want Spring and Winter getting along and he would not be the one targeted to stop it, they wouldn’t mess with a Guardian. Jack though? Yeah, not happening.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack landed on a roof, smiling wistfully as he watched the families below. He leant back against the chimney and stared up at the sky. It had taken a while to figure out but…there was a hole in his mind, something gone or locked away. He’d been so scrambled when he first woke up but now he knew, he was missing a bit over a decade worth or time. Something had happened to him, something so bad he’d woken under the ice. Did he even want to know? He sighed, idly taping his staff against the roof, watching patterns of frost spread.

He sat up as he heard something, frowning, head cocked to the side. The wind whistled around him and he shot up into the air.

_‘Trouble! Trouble! Fire!’_ the Wind called, and Jack let himself be pulled along.

Jack froze as he saw a Fire Sprite chasing…one of the little fairies that collected teeth! She was flying as fast as she could, but he was gaining…Jack snarled, no way! The little fairies had never been mean to him, sometimes they even waved, sighing when he smiled at them, staring at his teeth. He was not letting one get hurt! What was a Fire Sprite even doing this far north at this time of year? He dove down between them, sending an arctic blast at the Sprite who shrieked.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

She looked back at the shriek and then stopped, eyes wide as she watched them fight. Was it…it was! It was Jack! The two moved fast, Jack’s foot slamming into a face of fire even as he swept his staff around and she saw his eyes, they weren’t dead! No…they were angry, and she shivered nervously. He ducked, spinning around and then his staff slammed into the Sprite which screamed as ice covered it.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack backed away, watching closely, but the ice held. It’d take months to melt under the cover of the trees, served him right! He took a deep breath to calm down and then looked around, had she left or…no, there! On a branch. He slowly floated up. “Hey there, you okay? He won’t hurt you again,” he called gently, and the little fairy looked at him. He smiled and held his hand out. “I won’t hurt you little Baby Tooth. It’s okay,” he called softly, hand held steady.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

She listened to his voice, so soft and gentle, full of emotion, and his face…a slight smile, revealing teeth as white as snow. His hand was held out, open, inviting and she moved from the branch to his hand. He had protected her even under the Snow Queen’s power, he wouldn’t hurt her now. She settled on his hand, smiling when he laughed, a cold finger gently running over her feathers.

“You’re warm,” he whispered in awe. This was the Jack the Easter Bunny had spoken of that day during the storm and he was really back! She hugged his finger and he laughed again, sounding happy and carefree. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” He tucked her against his chest and then took off.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sandy smiled as Jack lazed on his cloud. It was New Year’s Eve and tomorrow a new century would begin. It had been a very eventful century and hopefully the next one would be calmer, not that Jack remembered a good portion of it. There had been no signs of the memory lock breaking or of her magic thankfully. He was as happy as ever, if a little quieter at times and Sandy knew the boy had realised he had a gap in his memories, but he had never asked. Why would he when he didn’t know their meeting at the lake was not their first?

It was good to hear the boy speak of another friend, of one of Tooth’s fairies who Jack called Baby Tooth, he was positive it was the same fairy Jack had met before and he had saved her again. He knew why Aster was keeping his distance and it was sad, but he wouldn’t interfere. Besides, the next time Pitch showed up…better he have no reason to look too closely at Jack. Who knew what he would do if he got his hands on Jack. it wouldn’t be anything good, that was for sure.

As much as he hated it, there was always the worry in the back of their minds. What would happen if the block on Jack’s memory failed? Would her magic linger enough in them to affect him? Would he become her emotionless servant again? He didn’t want Jack to remember, he didn’t deserve the torture of those memories. None of what had happened was his fault.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack had heard the children whisper about Santa Claus, jolly old St Nick, who brought them presents if they were good. Sandy had also mentioned him, he was one of the four Guardians who protected kids. The North Pole was also safe from the Snow Queen who Sandy was very serious in telling him to avoid at all costs. He was curious, what would he be like? He was Sandy’s friend, so he had to be pretty terrific, right?

The North Pole was wonderfully cold, the skies so clear, he really liked it. finding the Workshop wasn’t easy and took a while but when he did…he just hovered out of sight, staring in awe. The awe lasted until he was unceremoniously thrown into a snowbank by some big hairy creature he couldn’t understand. He’d just wanted to meet North, to have someone else to talk to, who could see him…he wasn’t going to cause trouble. Why did everyone think he was a troublemaker and prankster who never took anything seriously? What had he done?

Dejected he headed out in the snow until he found a good spot, burrowing under the loose snow to sleep. It was too hot back in Burgess to want to go back yet.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

When new clothing appeared on a flat rock near his lake, Jack assumed they were a gift from Sandy. The clothing was once again in brown, white, and blue, but was the current fashion. His own clothing was starting to look the worse for wear, so it’d be good to have new ones.

Tomorrow was New Years and that meant he was coming up on two hundred years old! Sometimes he had trouble thinking about that. The last century had dragged on occasion, not like the 1700’s where he had a big gap in his memory, plus he’d missed the first decade or so before Man in the Moon had brought him from the lake the first time.

Despite what other Spirits and Sprites might think, his life wasn’t all fun and games, no matter how much he tried to make it that. There was only one thing he kept secret from Sandy and Baby Tooth, other than his continual attempts to break into the Workshop, and he feared how they would react if or when they found out. His powers were growing, and he worked hard to control them but…winter was a cold and unforgiving season and he was part of that, no matter how much he hated it. Every time he found someone he felt sick because all he could do was end their suffering as gently as possible. It was a thousand times worse when it was a child and all he could do was hold them, numbing any pain and speeding their death. He hated himself every time it happened.

He did his best to bring joy whenever and wherever possible, creating ice sculptures and beautiful frost patterns or starting snowball fights. He’d discovered if he blew on a snowball with the intent to have fun it could affect the kid it hit, making them laugh and forget their worries for a while. Those powers he liked.

He looked up as the people began partying, it was nothing big but any excuse to party he supposed, waving as Sandy flew by to make sure the kids slept through it all.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack gripped his staff tight as he stared out at the horror before him, feeling frozen tears gather. They called it the Great War…he called it senseless slaughter. He’d seen other wars over the years. He’d been around for the American Revolutionary War, the Civil War…and he’d seen some in other countries too, but this…this was horror beyond any of them. It was all so senseless. He was just glad Baby Tooth wasn’t with him!

He didn’t want to spread frost, not here, not with so many soldiers already ill and injured…but he had to. Nothing could stop the seasons from turning. He closed his eyes, leaning tiredly on the faithful length of wood and frost, feeling the Wind gently ruffle his hair.

_‘Sad, Jack sad. Death, too much death,’_ it whispered, and he nodded.

“Let’s get to work,” he eventually murmured and began doing his job, trying to keep it away from the people as much as possible.

_TBC…_

_Jack is free of the Queen!_


	5. ch5

_Disclaimer: not mine_

_Watched the movie on loop while my PlayStation was down so loads of inspiration for this fic at the moment._

_Jack/Tooth or Jack/Aster?_

**Chapter 5**

Jack watched as a figure robed in black moved among the dead and dying on the battlefield, Scythe in hand. He rubbed his chest, feeling cold, there was something… familiar? It turned and stared at him, confirming it was a Spirit and then it was right in front of him and he stumbled back.

**_“It has been many mortal years Jack Frost,”_** a voice stated, sounding as if it came from the depths of the Earth and Jack shifted nervously.

“Do I…know you?”

**_“No, but I know you. Only due to the Man in the Moon did you not pass into my realm so long ago.”_ **

Jack swallowed; eyes wide. “Death?”

**_“The Grim Reaper is what I am called.”_ **

“Oh. Wait…I died?”

**_“Surely you suspected,”_** the hooded head tilted slightly as if curious.

Jack nodded slowly. He was different, even to most other Spirits. They still ate, slept, breathed…he didn’t. He only breathed to talk, he had no heartbeat, no warmth. “Why? Why not take me?”

**_“You wish for true death?”_** The Grim Reaper sounded surprised.

“I…I don’t know,” he admitted softly. “Why would the Man in the Moon want me here?”

**_“He has never said but to bargain with me it must be important. One day, you will know. If you truly wish for death then, call for me and I will release you from your burden.”_ **

Jack watched as he vanished and then took a deep breath into dead lungs, shifting his grip on his staff before letting the wind carry him away. This war was even worse than the so-call Great War, the war that was meant to end all wars. Humans kept coming up with more and more cruel ways to kill each other. His frozen touch was welcomed by many, easing their suffering and now…now he knew why it was so easy to do, because he was part way into that realm himself. It still hurt to do it, but how could he deny them a last comfort?

He didn’t notice the Grim Reaper watching him with almost parental pride as he looked after those beyond help.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He watched as the young Spirit gave what comfort he could to the dying, easing their passing into his domain. He had kept a distant watch over the boy since his death. He knew what the Man in the Moon planned for him and what the Snow Queen plotted but he knew the child would surprise everyone. It was why he had agreed and severed the child’s ties to mortality but not sent his soul on, Jack Frost was a wild card in an ancient game.

And perhaps…one day, he could lay down his Scythe and have a successor there to take it up. Only time would tell.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack sat on a tree branch, Baby Tooth on his shoulder. He was honestly shocked he’d never been confronted by an angry Tooth Fairy over stealing one of her kids or something. How did Baby Tooth get away with sneaking off so often? She never answered when he asked so he’d stopped asking, just grateful for the company. He didn’t know what he’d do without her and Sandy. The only other interaction he really had was with North’s Yeti’s, especially Phil but…trying to break into the Workshop had lost its draw. His last attempt had been two years ago, and he didn’t think he’d try again.

The twentieth century was crazy. Society was advancing at breakneck speed; they’d even sent people into space! There was talk about landing on the moon which always amused him, would serve the Man in the Moon right if they landed on him! In over two and a half centuries, the Moon had never spoken to him again, had ignored all please for answers, so yeah, he was a bit bitter, but didn’t he have the right to be?

There was another war on at the moment and while it involved more than one country, it was only happening in one, and it was one that didn’t see snow in a lot of areas so he could avoid the fighting for the most part. He only hoped it ended soon. He was getting very, very sick of war.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack held his ground, staff held defensively, as he was circled. He didn’t know why others said what they did about him, why they spread rumours and lies, but enough listened to them to cause him a lot of trouble. For example, it was Easter Sunday and he should be happily causing snow in New Zealand not facing down three Spirits in California.

Sandy had taught him a lot about fighting since they met but it was odd, sometimes he just knew how to move, what to do. Using his powers in battle was a bit hit and miss too, sometimes they flowed without thought, other times it was a struggle to use them others to control them. Today was one of the latter, his control was weak, and he knew it. The temperature around them had dropped at least fifteen degrees already, the wind increasing. He could not loose control! Not so close to human settlement and not on Easter!! He’d never met the Easter Bunny, he thought maybe he’d glimpsed him once or twice, and the last thing he wanted was to piss off a Guardian by ruining their holiday!

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster leapt from his hole and then almost doubled over as the cold hit. His ears went back as he stared around at several feet of snow, the wind screaming…Jack? No, he wouldn’t do this…would he? He remembered another storm and did his best to shake those memories off, it hadn’t really been Jack doing it but the Snow Queen. Jack was free of her, through his own strength, Sandy’s dreams, and Manny’s help. He put his head down and began walking, trying to figure out how large the blizzard was. It was Easter! The kids would be expecting egg hunts, but it was impossible with so much snow. This was California not Canada!

The further he travelled the angrier he became. Was this some sort of sick prank? Some lingering influence of the Winter Court within him? He finally spotted the younger Spirit in the air ahead, arms outstretched, staff tightly clutched in one hand as he moved.

“What do you think you’re doing ya bloody show pony!” he yelled.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack’s eyes snapped open and he turned, heart sinking as he saw one pissed off rabbit on the ground below. He thought…yeah, it didn’t look good but surely he didn’t think Jack had done this for fun? He was exhausted, his head pounding, and considering he was pretty much dead, that was a mean feat. He floated lower, nervously twisting his staff. “I can explain,” he started only to be cut off.

“Explain? Look at what you’ve done! You’ve ruined Easter! This is California!”

Jack backed away from the angered Guardian, feeling a flash of fear at his anger. “I…I didn’t mean… it was an accident!” he pleaded for understanding. He’d been outnumbered and had had no choice.

“An accident? Yeah right! You get your kicks out of hurting kids now do you?”

“No…no, I…” he shook his head. He didn’t want to hurt anyone! He took off, tears blurring his vision.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster collapsed in his next, exhausted. The blizzard had covered most of California as well as part of Nevada and Oregon. How much power did Frost have to manage that? Why had he done it? No reason could excuse it, none.

He’d been powerful enough when under the Queen’s control, but it seemed that power had continued to grow. He was dangerous, too powerful for someone with no believers at all. Why had Manny made him so strong? It wasn’t like he was a Guardian; he was a Seasonal Spirit.

As much as it hurt to admit, he was now positive, Jack Frost had once been a young boy named Jack, the first in his village to believe in Aster. There were just too many links for it to be coincidence. Mentally though they were worlds apart now and he had to wonder why Manny had erased his mortal memories. To spare him the pain of a family who couldn’t see him? If Aster had known, he could have helped Hope to believe in her brother, he could have helped Jack learn and adjust. Sandy had done what he could, but he and Tooth were the busiest out of the four of them, working every night.

If Jack got any more out of control…someone would have to deal with him and despite his anger…he didn’t think he could do it.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack sat, staring out at the ocean, one knee drawn up to his chest, the other foot swinging over the edge. He’d run out of tears days ago but just didn’t have the energy to do anything. His wounds were healing, helped by the freezing weather of Antarctica. Sometimes, he wondered how he was able to cry when he couldn’t do anything else. Maybe they weren’t real tears?

He’d seen the reports on the blizzard, and he felt utterly sick the damage done….at the death toll. Bunny was right, it was his fault, because he hadn’t had good enough control. What was wrong with him? Was he really what they said he was, a monster? No! He wasn’t, he never wanted to hurt anyone. He just…he had to get better control.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sandy had searched everywhere, trying to find Jack. He’d seen the blizzard and was scared for the younger Spirit. Had the Snow Queen found him? Pitch? Why had Jack even been in the Northern Hemisphere at that time of year?

He eventually spotted Aster and went down to speak with him.

“Don’t know where he is and don’t care! He didn’t just ruin Easter, have you seen the death toll and damage reports? He’s outta control Sandy. Maybe it’s something left from the Snow Queen, maybe it’s just the nature of Winter Spirits but if he’s not stopped he’ll be a bigger threat than her, maybe even Pitch,” and with that Aster was gone down a rabbit hole.

Sandy watched him go sadly. He had to find Jack!

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack opened his eyes and grinned, it was finally done! It was no Palace or Workshop, but it was all his. No one ever came to Antarctica but him so it was the perfect place to make a home, where he could be alone.

He didn’t know how long it had been, but it had been a while, maybe even years. He felt bad for just up and vanishing on Sandy and Baby Tooth, but he’d had to do it. he’d been too dangerous to be around others. Now though? He grinned and whipped up the wind and snow, taking off to fly around his new home. Now he was in control of his powers, not the other way around. He could even fly without the wind! Though not as fast, far, or high. Still it could be handy in a pinch or somewhere the Wind couldn’t reach him. He didn’t need his staff anymore either, but something told him to keep it close, to keep it safe, so he did.

He flew higher and higher, as high as the laughing wind could take him and then they were diving, skimming the waves, heading for Australia to check which season it was.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster paused as he heard something he hadn’t in years…Frostbite? He’d started calling him that, to distance him from the kid he’d known. He knew Sandy had been worried about him after ’68. There’d been so sight of him since then, no word, nothing.

He moved closer to the lake and there he was, dressed in rags…the last lot of clothing he’d passed on through Sandy. He was dancing on the ice again, smiling and laughing as he played. He tensed when a bunch of kids approached, some carrying skates. Jack paused and tapped the ice with his staff before leaping up onto a branch, watching them.

“See! I told you the ice was thick enough!” one of the kids called as they scrambled to get their skates on. The others began playing with the snow, though there wasn’t a lot, too early in the season. He glanced up at Frostbite again and was startled by his expression…loneliness…longing…then he looked up at the sky and ever so gently, snow began to fall, much to the children’s happiness.

Frostbite eventually dropped down from the tree, moving among them, helping to form snowballs and snowmen from the freshly fallen snow. All things…all things he would expect from the old Jack…was it possible, he’d found a way to control himself? Was that why he had vanished?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

She paused and looked around before zooming off towards the lake, tiny heart pounding as a light dusting of snow fell around her. She paused, hidden in the trees, it was him! He was back! But was it really him? She called out hesitantly and his head snapped up before he was getting to his feet on the ice.

“Baby Tooth?” he called out, looking around, and that was enough proof to have her racing towards him, his hands gently wrapping around her, pressing her to his silent chest. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, stroking her feathers. “I didn’t realise I’d been gone so long.”

But why had he gone, where? She glared up at him, arms crossed, and he sighed, flying over to some rocks to sit on them.

“You know about the blizzard don’t you? In ’68?” he asked tentatively, and she nodded, hugging a cold finger. She knew he never would have done it on purpose! That got a small, sad smile. “I..I couldn’t…I had to get better control. So many people were hurt,” and worse but it was obvious he knew that, and it hurt him.

So he had full control of his powers now? What could he do? She looked up at him and he grinned.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

North hummed along with the music while using a chainsaw to cut into a block of ice, eventually moving on to smaller tools. “Still waiting for cookies!” he called out before going back to humming as he finished off the small model of a train made from ice. He chuckled, setting it on the tracks where it set off. Two elves approached, carrying a plate of cookies, one munching away until the other pointed at the plate and he spat out what he’d been eating. North grabbed a cookie from the plate. “Ah! Finally! Mm mm!” he laughed as the train left the tracks, flying through the air, towards the door…which slammed open, shattering the train.

“Ah! Ahh!!”

“How many times have I told you to knock?” he demanded as he looked at the sad remains of his work. Things had been so peaceful the last few decades, even Jack Frost was off the Naughty List! It gave him a lot more time to tinker and come up with exciting new ideas…like the now destroyed flying train. He frowned as he listened to the explanation. “What? The globe?”

He stood up, grabbing one of his swords and left his personal workroom, heading for the Globe to see what was going on. “Shoo with your pointy heads! Why are you always under boot?” he stared up at the flickering lights in concern, glancing at Phil and Dennis. “What is this? Have you checked the axis? Is rotation balanced?” they nodded, the Globe had been checked and was working normally.

Everyone stared in horror, the Yeti pushing the elves back to safety as a wave of black sand swallowed the Globe before condensing into the air, flying around the room only to shift, forming a shadow in the shape of a familiar silhouette. The sound of chuckling filled the room before the sand and shadows vanished.

“Can it be?” he asked in horror, they had always known Pitch wasn’t gone for good, but it had been so long with no sign of him. “Dingle!” he barked, four elves standing to attention. “Make preparations. We're going to have company.” He pulled up the handle, twisting it, before pushing it back down, watching as the Globe lit up, setting off a particular pattern, hidden within the aurora borealis, summoning the other Guardians.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tooth was in her element as she directed her fairies around the world to collect the children’s teeth. “We've got a cuspid at 23 Maple. Head out! Wait! It's her first tooth...” she took it from the fairy who had collected it, inspecting it with a smile, “have you ever seen a more adorable lateral incisor in all of your life? Look how she flossed!” she gushed over it until noticing one of her fairy’s trying to get her attention. She looked over and saw the lights, eyes going wide. That was not the general meeting pattern…that was the emergency signal! She passed the tooth off and took off at top speed, several of the others following her.

What could have caused North to announce an emergency? Was he alright? Everything had been so quiet and peaceful…well ever since that massive Easter blizzard that had left Bunny and Sandy in a state. Oh, please let everyone be alright!

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster moved straight to the fireplace as he entered the Workshop. North complained when he opened his tunnels in the place, flowers in wooden floors were apparently a pain to deal with.

“Cookies? Eggnog? Anyone?” North offered refreshments and Aster glared.

“This better be good, North,” he grumbled, beginning to warm up thankfully. They all looked up as golden sand filled the room, an airplane made of it zooming by, Sandy flying out of it to float before North, obviously worried about the summons.

“Sandy! Thank you for coming,” North greeted, and Sandy gestured, showing his confusion. “I know, I know, but I obviously wouldn't have called you all here unless it was serious! The Boogeyman was here! At the Pole!” he announced, and they all stared at him in surprise and horror.

“Huh! Pitch? Pitch Black? Here?” Tooth gasped, her fairies moving closer to her.

“Yes... There was black sand covering the globe,” he waved at the Globe and Aster frowned.

“W-w-what, whadda' ya' mean black sand?” he demanded, pulling out an egg to paint to keep his paws busy.

“And then - a shadow!”

“Hold on, hold on- I thought you said you saw Pitch!” Aster stopped painting to glare at North. Since when did Pitch use black sand?

“Well, uh, not exactly...” North admitted, and Aster shook his head.

“Not exactly?! Can you believe this guy?” Had he seriously summoned them over some sand? Sandy flashed up a question mark. “Yeah, you said it Sandy.” He went back to work on the egg.

“Look, he's up to something very bad. I feel it... in my belly!” he slapped a hand to his belly for emphasis and Aster glared.

“Hang on, hang on- Y-you mean to say, you summoned me here 3 days before Easter, because of your belly?! Mate, if I did this to you 3 days before Christmas-“ he snarled.

“Please, Bunny, Easter is not Christmas!” North smirked.

“Here we go... North, I- I don't have time for this! I still have 2 billion eggs to finish up!”

North snatched the egg to examine. “No matter how much you paint, is still egg.” He tossed it back and Aster scrambled to catch it.

None of them noticed the moon brightening in the window or Sandy trying to get their attention.

“Look mate! I'm dealing with perishables! Right, you've got all year to prepare!”

“Ontario, Sector 9, 5 canines, 2 molars, and 14 incisors—"

“Why are rabbits always so nervous?”

“Is that all in one house?” Tooth exclaimed in the background, but they easily ignored her.

“And why are you always such a blowhard?” Aster snapped back.

“Tooth! Can't you see we're trying to argue?” North shot her a look.

“Sorry! Not all of us get to work one night a year, am I right Sandy?” she asked before going back to her work, not noticing the arrow Sandy formed to point above her. “Huh! San Diego, sector 2—"

“Come on, mate, Pitch went out with the Dark Ages, huh? We made sure of it.” No, he wasn’t the threat these days. Then again, Frostbite had barely been seen or felt since the blizzard. And when he had seen him…maybe he wasn’t a threat either.

“I know it was him. We have serious situation.”

“Hey, hey, I hate to interrupt—” Tooth tried to but in.

“Well I have a serious situation with some eggs!” he had three days left!

They all turned at the sound of a small bell ringing to see an angry Sandy shaking a poor elf by his hat. Oops, obviously he’d been trying to get their attention for a while. A moon formed from his sand and then an arrow and they looked to the window to see the moon.

“Ah! Man in Moon! Sandy, why didn't you say something?”

In response, Sandy blew sand out of his ears in frustration.

“It's been a long time, old friend! What is big news?”

In response, moonlight shone down on the Guardian symbol embedded in the floor and they all watched as the image of Pitch formed.

“It is Pitch...” Aster murmured, why would he return after so long? Had it taken him all this time to regain his power? Was he more powerful? Even as his thoughts focused on their ancient enemy, part of him was relieved. He didn’t want to fight Frostbite, and not just for Sandy’s sake.

North smirked at him and patted his belly. “Manny, what must we do?”

The Guardian plate opened up to reveal a crystal embedded in rock rising slowly from the floor.

“Uh guys, you know what this means?” Tooth gasped in awe.

“He's choosing a new Guardian...” North’s eyes were wide with wonder as he watched the rock stop rising, the moonlight focused on it.

“What?! Why?” Why did they need someone new? They’d always been enough to deal with Pitch.

“Must be big deal. Manny thinks we need help.”

“Since when do we need help?”

“ I wonder who it's gonna be?” Tooth asked and then saw the four leaf clover over Sandy’s head. “Maybe the Leprechaun?”

“Please not the Groundhog, please not the groundhog...” Aster muttered, anyone but that stuck up, self-absorbed idiot…please?

Blue light rose from the crystal, shimmering and swirling until it formed a hooded figure…with a familiar Shepard’s crook. Aster stared at the back of the image in horrified shock…but…it would explain Manny’s aide to the kid in locking away his memories and healing him.

“... Jack Frost,” North stared, and Aster glanced at Sandy who looked excited but also confused, how did North know Jack?

Aster nearly laughed when all of the little fairies swooned, figured Baby Tooth wasn’t the only one to be fascinated by him. Still a Guardian? “Uh, I take it back. The Groundhog's fine,” he muttered, ignoring Sandy’s glare.

“Well a-as long he helps to, uh, to protect the children, right?” Tooth practically stuttered the first bit, staring at the image.

“Jack Frost!? He- He doesn't care about children! A'ight, all he does is freeze water pipes and mess with my egg hunts! Alright? He's an irresponsible, selfish-“ he ranted angrily.

“Guardian,” North cut him off and he glared.

“Jack Frost is many things, but he is not a Guardian.” He crossed his arms over his chest. Maybe Frostbite had gotten better after disappearing but there was no way he was one of them…was there?

_TBC…_


	6. ch6

_Disclaimer: not mine_

_A lot from the movie because I’m fleshing it out and getting into their heads. Most of what we see is from Jack’s viewpoint in the movie after all._

**Chapter 6**

Jack flew between the buildings, laughing and spinning as he ran his staff along the roads and buildings of Moscow, before stopping at the top of a building, grinning as he took in his work. Not bad at all. Winter was finally truly fun again! He’d sent cold and frost into that kids room, skimming the fishbowl but without actually touching the water, keeping the fish alive and healthy. And the ice that had frozen the kids tongue to the fountain would already be mostly melted, causing no harm. He brushed a hand over his black jeans, wiping off some of the city grime before moving higher, clinging to a spire. “Oh! Now that, that was fun. Hey wind!” he called out, laughing as it sped it, flying around him almost giddily. “Take me home!”

The Wind was a lot faster, especially when it came to crossing continents and oceans, plus it was a lot more fun! He let himself soar above the clouds, towards the rising sun and then he plummeted down, grinning as Burgess came into view. “Snow day!” he shouted, ducking and weaving through the streets, making the temperature drop and a light snow to begin to fall. He ended up skating across his lake, laughing and playing before heading for land, the wind moving in front of him, knocking a book from a boy’s hands. He landed, crouching down, looking under the book to try and see the pages. “Huh, that looks interesting. Good book?” he asked despite knowing the kid wouldn’t hear him.

He followed the boy and his friends as they cheered about a snow day, feeling pleased that he could make them happy. “You're welcome!”

“Guys wait up! Are you guys coming to the egg hunt Sunday?” Jamie asked as they headed for a fence, so Jack followed them. It wasn’t the first time he’d followed the boy, there was something about him, something almost…familiar. Maybe the descendant of a kid he’d kept an eye on over the centuries?

“Yeah! Free candy!” one of a set of twins shouted happily and Jack sighed, Easter, wonderful. He hadn’t seen the Bunny up close since that year and he didn’t want to.

“I hope we can find the eggs with all this snow!” his brother answered, and Jack rolled his eyes as he alighted on the fence, there wasn’t that much snow!

“It says here that they found Big Foot hair samples and DNA! In Michigan! That's like super-close!” Jamie grinned as he read and Jack smiled, it was good when kids believed, besides Big Foot was kinda a Yeti and they existed.

“Here we go again.”

“You saw that video too, Claude! He's out there!” Jamie shouted and now Jack knew the hatless twin was Claude.

“That's what you said about aliens,” the other twin shook his head.

“And the Easter Bunny,” Claude grinned.

“The Easter Bunny is real,” he stated very firmly, and Jack snorted, walking along the fence, staff across his shoulders.

“Oh he's real, alright. Real annoying, real grumpy, and really full of himself,” he complained but then sighed, feeling bad. He didn’t really know him, not after one meeting that had been under very stressful circumstances. He watched the kids as they got ready to head back out to play, wincing as the little girl fell but her Mother was quickly there and helping her up.

“Jamie? Hat?” the mother called, and Jamie turned to face her as she shoved a warm hat on his head. “You don't want Jack Frost nipping at your nose!”

“Who's Jack Frost?” the boy asked in confusion and yeah, that hurt. How was he ever going to get believers when all he had was a line in a song or poem or two?

“No one, honey, it's just an expression.”

“Hey!” he yelled after her but then landed on the ground, watching the boys cross over to the park. “Who's Jack Frost?” he scooped up a handful of snow, making a ball, before blowing on it, the snow looking almost like ice. He lifted it and threw, hitting Jamie in the back of the head, starting a snowball fight. “Free for all!” He skated around them, staff to the ground. “Alright, who needs ammo?” snowballs formed where his staff ran across the snow and the kids were laughing, having a ball.

Everything stopped when the girl nailed another girl in the back of the head with a snowball meant for Jamie except he had fallen over the snowman. The girl growled angrily as she turned, and the other kids cowered fearfully. Well, that wouldn’t do at all!

“Crud. I hit Cupcake!”

“She hit Cupcake.”

“You hit Cupcake?” Claude asked in disbelief as Jamie held his sled over himself like a shield.

The girl grunted as Jack nailed her in the face with one of his special snowballs.

“Did you throw that?” the hat wearing twin asked. They all denied it and Jack smiled as he perched on his staff in between them. The kids were shocked when the other girl began to laugh and soon they were all running around, having fun.

“Little slippery!” he warned, getting ahead of Jamie to ice the path a little. The others slipped and landed on each other, but Jamie landed on his sled which took off…right for the street!

“Jamie!” the others shouted after him.

“That's the street!”

“Woah!” Jamie screamed as he soared over the street and Jack lunged to get in front of him, icing the way for him.

“Woah! Don't worry, kid, I gotcha. Hold on! It's gonna be alright!” too sudden a stop and Jamie would be hurt, he just had to lead him somewhere safe to slow to a stop. “Keep up with me, kid! Take a left!”

“Hey, slow down!” someone yelled as he took Jamie through a big pile of dirt and onto the sidewalk.

“Oh no no no no no!”

“Is that Jamie Bennett?” a woman asked, and Jack rolled his eyes, that was what she asked? Not why was he sledding down the street or was he in trouble or even how was the ice appearing in front of him? Some people…

“No no!” Jamie yelled and Jack looked up to see a bulldozer headed their way. He slammed his feet and staff into the road, forcing a sharp turn and then a ramp, watching as Jamie flew up and into the air. “Wooooah!” he yelled happily as he flew, landing in the snow before a statue.

“Oh my gosh...”

“Yeah ha hah!” Jack cheered, he’d kept the kid safe and unharmed while showing him a fun time, not bad.

“Jamie- Jamie, are you alright?” they called and then Jamie popped up out of the snow, jumping happily.

“Woah ho ho! Did you guys see that? It was amazing! I slid- I did a jump! And- and I slid under-“ he was cut off as a couch slid by, hitting him.

“Whoops,” Jack winced, he recognised it as the one that had fallen from a furniture truck that had slid on some of the ice.

“Cool, a tooth!” Jamie held it up proudly.

“Dude! That means cash!” Claude pointed out.

“Tooth Fairy-“ Jamie said, and Jack sagged.

“Ah no...” he flew down from the statue, kicking the snow. “No...”

“I gotta put this under my pillow!” they ran off down the street.

“Oh wait a minute, come on- Hold on, hold on! What about all the fun we just had? That wasn't the Tooth Fairy, that was me!” he called as he landed in front of them only for Jamie to walk right through him, making him gasp and hunch over a little. “'S a guy gotta do to get a little attention around here?” he whispered, watching them go, before flying away.

As the day wore on he tried to have fun but…in the end he ended up at Jamie’s house, leaning down to look in the kids bedroom window. He listened as the kid recounted the day’s adventure to his Mom and sister. He felt better listening to happy the adventure had made him; he’d even drawn his short time in the air! Of course then the topic changed to the tooth Fairy and staying up to see her. Even if he could, he wouldn’t see her but Baby Tooth or one of her thousands of siblings. His sudden shift in mood caused the window to begin to frost and he moved up onto the roof, hiding in the hood of his blue jumper.

The clothing he wore wasn’t as nice as the things Sandy had given him over the centuries, but he’d kept his distance since coming back, not wanting to see the anger of one of his only friends. And maybe…Sandy wouldn’t want to be his friend after what he’d done. He’d fished his outfit of black jeans, blue hoodie, and white t-shirt out of a charity donation bin three years earlier since his old stuff had been rags and barely keeping him decent. At least they were comfortable, not like he needed the warmth, but he liked wearing layers,

He walked along the roof and then looked up at the moon, hood falling back. “If there's something I'm doing wrong, could you just tell me what it is? Because I've tried... everything! And... no one ever sees me! ... YOU PUT ME HERE!” he shouted before deflating. “The least you can do is tell me- tell me why...” of course, like always, there was no answer. He leapt from the roof and onto a telephone line, absently frosting it over. Despite Easter being in a few days, it was a late Spring so he wouldn’t get in trouble.

He looked up again as golden sand began to descend, hesitating. “Right on time, Sandy,” he whispered and then ran his hand through the sand, smiling as dolphins formed.

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Sandy glanced down, sensing Jack touch the sand. He felt so lonely…why hadn’t he come to see him in so long? It took him a few seconds to spot the eternal teenager, the white hair practically glowing in the moonlight giving away his position. He’d gotten his hands on new, modern, clothes at some point so he was looking after himself at least. Still too skinny though. He waited but Jack made no attempt to approach or get his attention. Didn’t he want to be his friend anymore? Or…did he think Sandy would hate him for the blizzard?

He sent off the message that he’d found Jack, not liking that Aster would be collecting him. He definitely hadn’t forgiven or forgotten what had happened, he’d made his opinion very clear, that Jack was going to end up like all the other Winter Spirits. Though…he’d thought Aster had been softening towards Jack again for the last while, at least until Manny had chosen him as the new Guardian. He just hoped it all went well.

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Jack glanced down at the street with a frown, he was sure he’d seen someone down there. He’d almost thought it was Grim for a second but no, not tall enough and no scythe. He shrugged it off and kept wandering. Something black flashed passed him and he spun, staff up. “Woah! Hah!” he didn’t hesitate, taking off in pursuit. He’d been catching glimpses of some odd things since coming back to civilisation, strange shadows in the darkness, they’d never attacked him, but they made him wary. He landed in an alleyway to the sound of dogs barking, staff leading the way, ice almost crackling around him. He spun to face the entrance and saw a shadow, readying for a fight but then it moved into the light and he swallowed hard.

“Hello, mate,” Bunny spun a boomerang in his hand.”

“Uh!” he’d been chasing Bunny? Was he looking for payback after all these decades?

“Been a long time,” he moved forward and Jack forced himself to stand his ground. “Blizzard of '68, I believe. Easter Sunday, wasn't it?”

“Bunny!” Jack greeted with a cheerfulness he didn’t really feel. “You're not still mad about that - are ya?” he was backed into a corner…if he couldn’t fly anyway.

“Yes.” He looked up and smirked and Jack’s heart sank. “But this is about something else. Fellas?”

Before he could react, something big and hairy grabbed him, lifting him up. “Hey!” he struggled wildly, he was strong for how skinny he was, he was a Spirit after all, but they were far stronger. “Put me down! What the- ugh!” oh they hadn’t! they’d shoved him in a sack! He heard something…break? Then odd speech that was familiar, Yeti’s! what were the doing with Bunny? Then everything spun around him crazily.

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“Me? Hehehe... Not on your nelly. See ya back at the Pole,” Aster told them, no way he was taking one of North’s snow globe portals! He stamped the ground, making a hole appear, which he dropped into.

As he ran through the tunnel he considered the confrontation. Jack had chased him but not attacked which was good. Facing him for the first time since ’68 had been strange. He’d seen the wariness and even some fear in blue eyes, the grip he’d had on his staff, and it was obvious, he’d expected Aster to attack and yet hadn’t done anything. He was dressed very differently but he’d had to get his hands on clothing for himself the first time since becoming a Spirit. He just really didn’t like the colour black, at least he still wore blue too.

Maybe…maybe he’d misjudged him? Had he let his fear of the Snow Queen’s power over Winter Spirits to cloud his judgement? Once this thing with Pitch was over…he’d talk to Frostbite, try and get his side of what happened. The kid had tried to explain back then but he’d been too angry to listen. Obviously Manny believed in him or else he’d never make him a Guardian.

He entered the Workshop as the sack with Jack tumbled to the floor.

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“He's here! Quiet!” a voice announced, and Jack pushed the sack open crawling out, trying not to let his jaw drop. “Hey...! There he is! Jack Frost!”

“Wow... You gotta be kidding me.” He was lifted into the air and set on his feet.

“I hope the Yetis treated you well?” North asked and he really was rather jolly.

“Oh yeah, I love being shoved in a sack and tossed through a magic portal,” he answered sarcastically as he brushed himself off.

“Oh. Good! That was my idea.” He was proud of that? Obviously didn’t get sarcasm then. “You know Bunny, obviously.”

“Obviously,” he agreed, glancing at him.

“And the Tooth Fairy-“

With that she flew right up to him with no respect for personal space. A quick glance showed that Baby Tooth wasn’t among the fairies with her. “Hello Jack! I've heard a lot about you, and your teeth!” she gushed.

Jack blinked in confusion. “My- my what?”

“Open up! Are they really as white as they say?” she demanded, and he cautiously opened his mouth enough to reveal his teeth. Baby Tooth loved it when he smiled but this was a bit much. “Yes- Oh! Oh they really do sparkle like freshly fallen snow,” she actually blushed a little, the others swooning. “Girls pull yourself together. Let's not disgrace the uniform.”

“And Sandman. Sandy? Sandy?” North nudged the apparently sleeping Sandy, but Jack could see one eye open a crack and he bit back a laugh at his playing. “Wake up!”

Sandy pretended to startle awake and the hesitant smile on his face hurt. He…he didn’t hate him? He stared back at his first friend, lips twitching slightly in response and then he almost stumbled as a Yeti pushed him further forward. Jack clamped down on his emotions, hard, his powers were harder to control when his emotions got away from him. The noise and amount of people in the Workshop…he was not going to panic or cause a blizzard!

“Hey! Woah! Anyone wanna tell me why I'm here?” he asked instead. Sandy began flashing up symbols and he knew it was something to do with him and…maybe the moon? He wasn’t sure what most of the others were. “Uh, eh- the- that's not really helping, but- but thanks little man.” He began to pace, tapping an elf with his staff, freezing it. “I must've done something really bad to get you four together- Wha-? Am I on the Naughty List?”

North laughed. “Hah! On Naughty List? You hold record. But! No matter, not there for some time now.”

Okay, that made sense, not like he’d been around anyone when he was off training himself. “So why bring me here?”

“Why? I tell you how come! Because now, you are Guardian!” he raised his arms and music began, banners unfurling, Yeti’s lifting torches and Jack stumbled back, he was a Winter Spirit! Fire and he did not get along! His eyes widened as some of the fairies approached with a snowflake necklace.

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Sandy saw Jack’s eyes go wide, saw the growing panic, and looked for a way to calm things down before Jack lost control and froze the room or something. This was such a bad idea; he wasn’t used to interacting with so many people or being the centre of attention. Why did no one ever listen to him? He hated acting like strangers, but it was his own fault for not saying he knew Jack, for not managing to find him.

“This is the best part!” North yelled as the elves marched around with their instruments, the fire wielding Yeti getting closer to Jack who was actually back peddling. 

The other Yeti got Jack onto the middle of the Guardian symbol. Jack was obviously confused when two elves wanted him to put on a pair of shoes, he’d never seen Jack wear shoes once in three centuries. North was still delighted as the Yetis presented him with a book. Sandy toasted Jack with eggnog, trying to tell him to relax and Jack’s eyes were pleading.

Sandy saw it coming and braced before Jack slammed his staff into the floor, ice spreading, sending the elves slipping and sliding across the floor, cold air blowing out the torches and fireplace.

“What makes you think I wanna be a Guardian?” Jack demanded, knuckles white where he was clutching his staff.

North laughed loudly while Aster’s laugh was more nervous before he became serious, watching Jack closely. “Of course you do. Music!” North snapped his fingers and the elves started up again.

“No music!” Jack yelled and the music quickly died, the elf with the trumpet smacking his comrade with the sousaphone. “This is all very flattering, but, uh... You don't want me,” Jack told them, and Sandy could see he was completely overwhelmed and nervous. He flashed him a smile, proud of his control, so much better than the last time he’d seen him. Was that why he’d left? Had he spent the time training himself? Jack leapt up on one of the desks near the Globe. “You're all hard work and deadlines. And I'm... snowballs and fun times. I'm not a Guardian.”

“Hah! That's exactly what I said!” Aster snapped and Sandy wanted to hit him for that. Ever since Jack had returned from the Snow Queen, but mostly since the blizzard, it seemed all Aster could do was see the bad in everything Jack did. Seeing Jack now though, he didn’t agree at all, this was just a version of the Jack he’d known since the beginning, a little older but still playful and mischievous. Whatever had happened to cause that blizzard, it hadn’t been out of malice or recklessness, he was sure of that.

“Jack, I don't think you understand what it is we do,” Tooth butted in, indicating the Globe, her other hand on Jack’s shoulder briefly, though she removed it when he tensed. “Each of those lights is a child-“

“A child who believes. And good or bad, Naughty or Nice, we protect them,” North finished for her.

“Ah- ah-“ his attempt to respond had Sandy looking back at him and silently laughing at the sight of Jack with Tooth’s hands in his mouth to better see his teeth. It was good that he wasn’t reacting, if he wanted her to stop, he’d drop his body temperature even further until she couldn’t stand it. 

“Tooth, fingers out of mouth,” North told her, and she jerked back, hands now behind her back.

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“Oh, sorry! Heh, they're beautiful!” She smiled and Jack gave her a shaky one in return.

He really didn’t understand her fascination with his teeth, everyone had them. He did wonder how she’d react to the fact he never brushed them but since he didn’t eat…well.

“Okay no more wishy washy, Pitch is out there doing who knows what!” North announced.

“You mean th-the Boogeyman?” Were they serious? Then again, Sandy had mentioned him before, but they’d beaten him centuries ago. Though…the shadows he’d seen? Could they be a sign of him coming back?

“Yes! When Pitch threatens us, he threatens them as well!”

“All the more reason to pick someone more qualified!” He couldn’t go up against someone like that. Fighting other seasonals and elementals was one thing, the embodiment of fear? Way out of his league.

“Pick?” North stared at him. “You think we pick?! No! You were chosen! Like we were all chosen! By Man in Moon.” He pointed up and Jack looked to see the moon through a window in the roof, eyes widening in shock.

“What?” Seriously?

“Last night, Jack, he chose you,” Tooth smiled at him, but he didn’t see it, too shocked.

“Maybe,” Bunny added.

“Man in the Moon, he, uh… he talks to you?” Jack asked hesitantly. Why? Why would he never speak to him if he was meant to be one of them?

“You see, you cannot say no. It is Destiny.”

“W-Why, why wouldn't he tell me that himself?” Jack groaned, shaking his head. “After 300 years, this is his answer? To spend eternity like you guys, cooped up in some- some hideout, thinking of- of new ways to bribe kids? No, no, that's not for me!” he snapped before taking a deep breath. “No offense,” he muttered.

“How- how- How is that not offensive? You know what I think, I- I think we just dodged a bullet. I mean what's this clown know about bringing joy to children anyway?” Bunny sneered and Jack was tempted to not respond, to just fly away but then he saw Sandy watching him hopefully. Did he really want Jack as a Guardian?

He took a deep breath and pasted on a cocky grin before turning to face Bunny. “Uh, you ever hear of a snow day? I know it's no... hardboiled egg, but kids like what I do.”

“But none of 'em believe in ya. Do they? Y'see, you're invisible, mate - it's like you don't even exist,” Bunny jabbed his chest with a paw and Jack fought back the urge to either scream, cry, or freeze him.

Tooth gasped in shock at his words, it was nice to know they didn’t all think the same, not that he blamed him after the blizzard. “Bunny! Enough.”

“No, the kangaroo's right,” he taunted, shoving shaking hands into the pocket at the front of his hoodie.

“The- the what? What'd you call me? I'm not a kangaroo, mate,” Bunny was practically nose to nose with him now.

“Oh! And this whole time I thought you were. If you're not a kangaroo, what are you?” Jack snarled, feeling the frost thickening on his staff.

“I'm a bunny. The Easter Bunny. People believe in me.”

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Sandy wanted to get between them, to calm things down before they came to blows. Instead he blew out his cheeks and tugged North’s pant leg, motioning for him to do something to get them calmed down.

North glanced down and then nodded. “Jack, walk with me,” he called, and Jack looked over before nodding curtly.

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North observed the younger Spirit as they made their way through the Workshop. The anger and frustration faded into wonder as Jack tried to look everywhere at once. He would need to speak to Phil later, how had he not known about Jack’s attempts to break in? Why had he tried, for mischief or…because he was still a child at heart, a lonely one at that. It was in his eyes as he looked around.

Perhaps the ceremony had been too much? He didn’t know much about Jack Frost, just what he had heard from others over the centuries. It was best to form his own opinion. So far, he had yet to see any sign of the lack of control, if anything he appeared to have very good control.

He led him to his personal workroom and then locked the door, seeing the flash of fear in Jack’s eyes as he backed up. He didn’t…actually think North would harm him, did he? There were rumours…he had never wanted to believe them but now he wondered, how many times had another Spirit attacked the one before him? He backed up after asking Jack what his Centre was, seeing his confusion. So he grabbed his doll and handed it over. He was surprised when Jack set his staff aside to open the doll, that showed a level of trust that seemed at odds with his earlier fear. He chuckled as Jack became interested in getting to each smaller doll only for the teen to rub his forehead, bewildered by the last one.

“Look closer. What do you see?” he pushed, wanting him to understand.

“A-ah... Ya have big eyes?” Jack offered awkwardly and North laughed.

“Yes! Big eyes, very big, because they are full of wonder. That is my centre. It is what I was born with: eyes that have always seen the wonder in everything! Eyes that see lights in the trees, and magic in the air - this wonder is what I put into the world! And what I protect in children. It is what makes me a Guardian. It is my centre. What is yours?” he asked again, and Jack looked away.

“I don't know.”

He was about to respond to Jack when a noise made them look to the window, seeing Tooth and her fairies fly by at considerable speed. The door then opened to reveal Aster and Sandy, both serious.

“We have a problem, mate. Trouble at the Tooth Palace.”

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Okay so the Sleigh? Way cooler than he’d ever imagined having seen it at a distance and the chance to watch Bunny freak out made it even better. Maybe pretending to fall off had been a little mean but he deserved and…he’d actually looked for him which was a surprise. Maybe he did care, if only a little? The portal was a lot better when not stuffed in a sack but then they appeared somewhere else with a magnificent view though a bit warm for his tastes.

North yanked on the reigns as black horses rushed towards them…the shadows! These were what he’d been catching glimpses of! They ducked and he saw Sandy put up an umbrella, black sand scattering across his gold. Jack looked up at the horses, eyes used to picking out detail when travelling at top speed with the wind picking out what was going on.

“They're taking the tooth fairies!” he looked around wildly, where was she? Where was…there! He leapt up, the wind pushing him faster and then his hands wrapped around her and he dropped back down quickly into the back of the Sleigh, cradling her in his hands. “Hey Baby Tooth, you okay?” he murmured, and she uncurled, eyes widening as she realised who had saved her, hugging his fingers. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

She quickly settled in his hood as they entered the Palace, chasing the horses and then Jack was shocked to be handed the reigns. He got to drive Santa’s Sleigh? His inner child was dancing for joy! Of course he then nearly crashed but hey, any landing you could walk away from, right? Even if Bunny did look a little green.

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Aster leapt up towards where Tooth was, worried about her as she flitted about.

“Tooth! Are you alright?” North called as he followed him up.

She sighed in disbelief and hurt. “They- they took my fairies, and the teeth, all of them. Everything is gone. Everything...”

That was when the little fairy Frostbite had saved flew by and Aster realised it was a very familiar fairy, the one the kid called Baby Tooth.

“Ah! Oh thank goodness, one of you is alright,” she whispered, hugging baby Tooth.

Aster glanced down at where the youngest Spirit stood, watching the reunion with a small smile, tapping his staff against the Sleigh but not causing any frost.

“I have to say... this is very, very exciting,” a familiar and hated voice taunted. Okay, so North was right. Then they saw the man himself, standing a few levels above them ,smirking at down at them. “The Big Four, all in one place. I'm a little starstruck. Did you like my show on the globe, North? Gotcha all together, didn't I?”

“Argh!” North readied his swords.

“Pitch! You have got 30 seconds to return my fairies—” Tooth yelled angrily.

“Or what? You'll stick a quarter under my pillow?” Pitch sneered, had he forgotten Tooth was as much a warrior as the rest of them?

“Why are you doing this?” North asked and Aster focused on watching their backs, Pitch liked sneak attacks. Another glance down showed Frost had put his back to the Sleigh, staff held at the ready. Good, then again Sandy had trained him, twice over actually. And who knew what muscle memory remained from his time in the Winter Realm.

“Maybe, I want what you have. To be believed in! Maybe I'm tired of hiding under beds!”

“Maybe that's where you belong!” Aster snarled back.

“Tah! Go suck an egg, rabbit.”

“Rrh!” he leant over to try and hit him, but Pitch was already gone, North hauling him back up.

“Hang on. Is that... Jack Frost?” Pitch sounded surprised which was good, though not so good that he recognised Frost. Had they met? Or just the Spirit gossip line hard at work? Pitch appeared on the same level as Frost but inside one of the structures. Frost spun to face him even as he was forming, and Aster wondered how….the Wind? His forming presence would have shifted the air currents if Frost was that in tune with them. “Heh, hehehe. Since when are you all so chummy?”

“We're not,” Frost answered tightly, staff levelled at Pitch and…yes it was glowing slightly.

“Oh good, a neutral party. Then I'm going to ignore you, but you must be used to that by now.”

Aster saw Frost’s face at Pitch’s words…taken back to the boy he had befriended so long ago, and he snarled. “Pitch! Shut up you shadow-sneaking ratbag! Come 'ere!” he went on the attack, but Pitch vanished.

Tooth surprised him by grabbing one of his boomerangs and attacking Pitch's new location with a war cry, but one of the eerie black horses appeared and screeched at her, causing her to fall back.

“Whoa ho ho ho, hey! Easy girl, easy. Hehe. Look familiar, Sandman? Took me awhile to perfect this little trick: turning dreams into nightmares,” Pitch gloated as Sandy lifted a hand of golden sand to compare and they really were the same. That could not be good. “Don't be nervous; it only riles them up more. They smell fear, you know.”

“What fear? Of you?” He snapped before laughing as Tooth returned his boomerang. “No one's been afraid of you since the Dark Ages!” he then tuned out Pitch’s rant about that time, checking everyone was alright. Sandy looked angry, Tooth too. North was wary, suspecting a trap and he did too. Frost was still guarding the Sleigh and one of their ways out if needed, watching Pitch and the horse, something in his expression…like…he was seeing something he had before? How long had Pitch had these Nightmare horses and where could Frostbite have seen one?

“Well that's all about to change,” Pitch laughed, and Aster tuned back in even as Tooth gasped in horror. “Hehe. Oh look, it's happening already,” he gloated, and they all saw what he meant, the Palace already beginning to fall apart around them. After only one night? Something didn’t add up.

“What is?” Frost’s eyes were wider than anyone else’s, the kid obviously confused.

“Oh...” Tooth dropped to stand on her own feet, horrified.

“Children are waking up and realizing the Tooth Fairy never came. It's such a little thing, but to a child-“

“What's going on?” Jack demanded even as Baby Tooth darted in to comfort her Mother.

“They... They don't believe in me anymore,” Tooth whispered sadly.

“Didn't they tell you, Jack? It's great being a Guardian! But there's a catch. If enough kids stop believing, everything your friends protect - wonder, hopes, and dreams - it all goes away. And little by little, so do they. Hehehehe. No Christmas, or Easter, or little fairies that come in the night. There will be nothing but fear, and darkness... and me. It's your turn not to be believed in!” he yelled, and Aster saw Frost blanch at Pitch’s explanation but then he hurled his boomerang at Pitch.

The Nightmare whinnied and Pitch rode off on it with them in hot pursuit, going into freefall after him. He hurled eggs bombs, but Pitch ducked them all, diving into a gap in the stone. By the time they landed at the lagoon, he was gone.

“Okay, alright, I admit it. You were right about Pitch,” he muttered.

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She knelt on the ground with two scattered teeth boxes, her sole remaining fairy at her side. She blinked in surprise as Jack knelt down, handing her another box, expression solemn in a way she doubted most believed him capable of.

“I'm sorry about the fairies,” he offered quietly, and she managed a small smile for him.

“You should've seen them. They put up such a fight.” Her smile strengthened a little as the fairy twittered, holding her fists up, seeing Jack smile at her, as if…he knew her? She supposed it was possible, her girls loved his teeth and had said he’d wave at them and even smile when he saw them. It wasn’t impossible one had gone in for a closer look and for all his reputation, Jack had never been called violent. Though, how much of that reputation was actually deserved?

“Why would Pitch take the teeth?” he asked in confusion and she sighed.

“It's not the teeth he wanted, it's the memories inside them.” She lifted up off the ground and glanced at the mural across the water.

“What do you mean?”

“That's why we collect the teeth, Jack. They hold the most important memories of childhood,” she flew towards it and he followed, walking across the water, thin ice forming beneath his feet as he did. Was that an involuntary reaction then? He was a Winter Spirit! She looked him over in concern, her Palace was always very warm, but so far he didn’t seem to be showing any ill effects, thankfully. She refocused on explaining. “My fairies and I watch over them. And when someone needs to remember what's important, we help them. We had everyone's here.” She glanced at him with a smile, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Yours too.”

“I- My memories?” he asked, sounding even more confused.

“From when you were young. Before you became Jack Frost,” she clarified and okay, he could get even paler. She reached out to steady him, but he backed away, hand trembling around his staff and the temperature dropped a few degrees, getting the others attention.

“But, I- I wasn't anyone before I was Jack Frost,” he denied, and she frowned.

“Well of course you were. We were all someone before we were chosen.”

“What?” his question silenced them all, he looked utterly lost as he looked at them all.

She felt sick suddenly as the clues began putting themselves together. Had he…however he had become a Spirit, oh no! Poor Jack. He truly didn’t remember his mortal life. She didn’t know anything about it, she’d never looked at his Teeth! She’d just known the box had changed to belonging to a Spirit and not a human.

“The night at the pond, I just...Why I assumed...” he stammered. “Are you saying, are you saying I had a life? Before that, w- I- With a, with a home? And- and a family?”

“You really don't remember?” she asked sadly, and he stared at her in shock but also growing hope.

“All these years the answers were right here... If I find my memories, then I'll know why I'm here. Ya have to show me!” he took off and then grabbed her hand tugging and she hated destroying that hope.

“I- I can't, Jack. Pitch has them.”

Jack paused, then flew across the water again. “Then we have to get them back!”

Tooth went to say something and then gasped, looking down to see three feathers fall. “Oh no...The children... We're too late.”

“No! No! No such thing as too late!” North called out, pacing, swords in hand and Jack perched on a rock above them, watching. She flew back across the water, seeing her fairy fly up to settle in Jack’s hood, they had to know each other then. “Wait, wait, wait wait wait wait wait! ...” he spun around, pointing with a sword and Aster barely avoided losing his nose, or more! At least it got a chuckle from Jack. “Idea! Hah!” He gestured with the other sword between Aster and Sandy. “We! Will collect the teeth!”

“What?” she blinked, had he really just suggested that?

“We get teeth, children keep believing in you.”

“We're talking 7 continents, millions of kids!” she told him, and he smirked.

“Give me break, you know how many toys I deliver in one night?”

“And eggs I hide in one day?” Aster stepped up as well.

North then turned to look up at Jack. “And Jack, if you help us, we will get you your memories,” he offered.

Tooth laughed, excited by the idea but then a thought hit her. Were they really…blackmailing Jack into helping them? Into possibly facing Pitch? He wasn’t a child, physically or mentally, he was definitely in his late teens and had been around a few centuries but still…it wasn’t right. No, even if he said no, if she could get his tooth box back, she’d give it to him anyway.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sandy didn’t like the way North had phrased it but it would do Jack good to work with them, so he flashed him a double thumbs up even as Aster grumbled. It would do him good as well to work with Jack!

Jack looked at them and then grinned. “I'm in!”

_TBC…_


	7. ch7

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 7**

Jack laughed as he raced through the city, he was having more fun than he’d had in forever and he got to taunt Bunny! Sandy stealing his stolen tooth wasn’t fair, but Sandy had just laughed at him. Of course they then had to backtrack to deliver gifts to the kids whose teeth they’d already taken, oops.

Eventually they ended up in Burgess and he slipped into Jamie’s room, going over to look closer at his drawing of the sled incident only to turn but then relax as Tooth entered the room, going to the bed to pick up the tooth. He didn’t mind her beating him to it.

“Left central incisor, knocked out in a freak sledding accident. I wonder how that could have happened, Jack?” she shot him a look and he grinned awkwardly, okay maybe he was a little embarrassed?

“Hehehe, kids, huh?”

She spun a coin and slipped it under the pillow, then hovered over Jamie. “This was always the part I liked most - seeing the kids,” she sighed, crossing her arms. “Why did I ever stop doing this?”

Jack walked over to the bed, smiling at the sleeping Jamie. “Hm. Looks a little different up close, huh?” he glanced at her and she smiled.

“Thanks for being here, Jack. I wish I'd known about your memory. I coulda' helped you,” she told him and he…he believed her.

If only he’d known she stored memories, then again he hadn’t known he was missing any other than that hole and he had the feeling he didn’t want those ones back, ever. “Yeah, well, look let's just get you taken care of, then it's Pitch's turn,” he gripped his staff tightly.

They looked over to see North struggling to squeeze in the window. “Here you are!” he groaned as he finally got into the room, Sandy in tow.

“Ssh!” Tooth hissed, pointing at Jamie.

“Oh! What gives, slowpokes?” North whispered before looking at Tooth. “How you feeling, Toothy?”

“Believed in,” she grinned.

“Hah! That's what I want to hear,” North cheered quietly, and Jack leant against the wall, content to watch and listen. Maybe…this was what it was like to have friends who weren’t mute or tiny fairies?

Bunny popped up through a hole in the floor and scowled. “Oh, I see how it is. All working together to make sure the rabbit gets last place,” he complained only to be hushed.

“Uh, you think I need help to beat a bunny?” Jack pulled his bag of teeth out. “Check it out, Peter Cottontail!”

“You call that a bag'a choppers?” he pulled out his bag, “Now that's a bag'a choppers.”

“Gentlemen, gentlemen, this is about Tooth, it's not a competition - but if it was, I win! YEE-HA!!” he yelled, dancing around only to freeze as torchlight hit his face. “Oh no.”

“Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Sandman, the Tooth Fairy! I knew you'd come!” Jamie was grinning at them and Jack’s heart leapt, hope growing, not noticing Bunny glance at him.

“Surprise! We came!” she chuckled.

“He can see us?” Jack whispered.

“Most of us,” Bunny answered, and Jack wilted, shocked to see sympathy in the rabbit’s green eyes.

Jamie shone the light where Bunny was looking, but it was obvious he saw nothing in the gap between Tooth and North.

“Ssh, you guys! He's still awake!” Tooth hissed at them.

“Sandy, knock 'im out!”

Sandy pounded his fists together and Jack bit back a laugh, knowing he wouldn’t actually hit the confused looking kid.

“With the dream sand, ya' gumbies!” Bunny whisper-yelled and then got a face full of growling Greyhound.

“No stop, that's the Easter Bunny! What're you doing, Abby? Down!”

“Alright, nobody panic.”

“But that's a, uhm, that's a greyhound,” Jack struggled not to laugh. “Do you know what greyhounds do to rabbits?”

“Well I think it's a pretty safe bet he's never met a rabbit like me,” Bunny bragged, and Jack met Sandy’s eyes as he prepped a ball of dream sand, the two of them smirking. “Six-foot-one, nerves of steel, Master of Tai Chi, and-“

Jack nudged the kids alarm clock with his staff, setting it off, and startling Abby the Greyhound.

“Crikee! Ahh!” He took off, bouncing around the room and Jack did his best to stifle his laughter, perching in a corner to watch the chaos.

“Stop! Wait! Slow down!” Jamie yelled at his dog.

Jack watched in disbelief as one after another the dropped sand took them all out, leaving only him and Sandy awake, though Sandy had to put the kid under himself when North’s slumbering form launched the boy off the bed and into Sandy’s arms. “Whoops,” he couldn’t help chuckling. “Oh I really wish I had a camera right now.”

Sandy gave him a sidelong glance and Jack shrugged, what? It was in his nature to be something of a trickster. He saw Sandy’s eyes widen and began to turn, heating a horse bray…in the air. Nightmares!

Jack jumped onto the windowsill and then took off after them. “Sandy, come on! We can find Pitch!”

They split up, each targeting one of the Nightmares and Jack bounced off chimneys, the Wind pushing him faster as he shot blasts of electric frost at the thing. Finally, he felt his magic connect and leapt up to find a frozen mess of sand on a roof. “Sandy! Sandy, did you see that? Hehehe! Look at this thing!” he called out and then sensed something behind him.

“Frost?” Pitch asked and Jack spun, firing ice but Pitch dodged. “You know, for a neutral party, you spend an awful lot of time with those weirdoes. This isn't your fight, Jack.”

“You made it my fight when you stole those teeth!” Jack snarled, feeling the clouds trying to respond to his anger but he tamped it down, they didn’t need a blizzard or a thundersnow storm.

“Teeth? Why do you care about the teeth?” Pitch sounded genuinely confused before he spotted Sandy standing beside him and jumped to the side with a start, laughing nervously. “Now this is who I'm looking for.”

Jack didn’t like the sound of that at all. Had…had this been a trap, to draw them out?

Sandy broke out his sand whips and Pitch began dodging, bringing out his giant scythe. Sandy caught Pitch's handle and jerked him into the air, then down into the street below where Pitch bounced off a car roof.

“Remind me not to get on your bad side,” Jack smirked, he’d taken worse hits in their training, so he knew Pitch wasn’t out for the count. They both descended through the air to street level.

“Okay, easy!” Pitch scrambled away from them.” You can't blame me for trying, Sandy! You don't know what it's like to be weak and hated! It was stupid of me, to mess with your dreams.” He finally got to his feet and then smirked darkly. “So, I'll tell you what. You can have 'em back.”

Nightmares came from everywhere, surrounding them and Jack shifted his stance, going back to back with Sandy. “You... take the ones on the left, I'll take the ones on the right?” he offered, and Sandy shrugged.

The Nightmares brayed angrily and then fell silent.

“Boo!” Pitch smirked and the Nightmares attacked.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

North shook off the last of the sleep, pulling the Sleigh up, catching sight of Sandy and Jack fighting, impressed by the younger Spirits skill and power as he blasted the Nightmares and then dropped down, letting two run into each other. Tooth took off, flying through them and Aster leapt from the Sleigh to fight across the roofs briefly. It felt good, to fight with comrades old and new.

He felt the slight shift in balance as Jack landed on the side. “You might wanna duck,” he heard Aster tell him.

Jack was suddenly beside him, flying beside the Sleight, pointing up. “We gotta help Sandy!”

North saw the swarm and turned the reindeer, driving the sleigh in that direction.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack saw Pitch pull the string of an invisible bow, the arrow-head shaped out of black sand that was aimed at Sandy was all too real and visible. He released the arrow before jack could even open his mouth, unable to do anything but watch as It hit Sandy right between the shoulder-blades.

“NOOO!” he launched himself off the Sleigh, the clouds darkening in reaction to his terror and rage.

,,,,,,,

Pitch laughed menacingly while Sandy turned to face him, feeling the black sand spread through him. “Don't fight the fear, little man,” he laughed as Sandy panted, falling to his knees, braced on one hand. “I'd say sweet dreams, but there aren't any left.”

Sandy stands up, looking down to see Jack flying towards him, blue eyes wide in grief and pain and he smiled at the boy, his friend, a last goodbye. He saw Jack shake his head, increasing his speed but there was nothing he could do. He just wished Jack didn’t have to see. He closed his eyes, and the swirling black sand closed in on his glowing yellow light, snuffing it out.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

“Sandy?” North gasped and all Aster could do was stare up at the swirling mass of darkness, feeling the temperature plummet, thunder and lightning suddenly lighting up the sky even as snow began to fall.

“No... NOOO!!” even from below they could hear Jack’s screams as he raced towards Pitch.

“Faster!” Aster urged as he saw the horde race towards Jack now. Who knew what that stuff would do to the kid if it reached him! If Pitch could infect him…it’d be worse than what the Snow Queen had done to him, that was for sure. An emotionless Frostbite had been scary enough, one infected by fear? Not something he wanted to face, ever.

Jack halted for a second and Aster thought he’d do the smart thing and turn back but before he could the wave crashed over him.

“JACK!” Tooth yelled, taking off.

No! The growing storm seemed to freeze for a second and then there was a loud boom from where they’d last seen Jack, bright blue/white light arcing out in jagged streams, pushing back the Nightmare sand. Aster stared at the revealed Spirit in shock and then Jack screamed. The storm hit full force, the wind nearly knocking the Sleigh away, thunder booming as Jack brought his hands together in front of himself slamming them into his staff. The whole world seemed to explode for a second and when Aster blinked he saw the wave of frozen Nightmare sand before it exploded like some strange fireworks. He saw Pitch go flying with a scream and smirked.

“Jack!” North’s cry of alarm had Aster turn back to see the boy tumbling from the sky, obviously unconscious.

Tooth darted in, barely managing to catch him as he fell, setting him down in the sleigh. “Jack?” she called, reaching out to touch his face only to recoil, skin red. “He’s freezing cold.”

Aster moved in, his fur giving him more protection as he searched for a pulse, only to find nothing but...hadn’t Sandy said the kid didn’t breath or anything except to talk? He’d died in the lake and while Manny had brought him back, his body was frozen, unchanging. “Come on Frostbite,” he whispered. The kid had bought them time, it’d take Pitch a little while to recover from that attack. He was relieved to feel him stir slightly beneath his paw.

Slowly, blue eyes fluttered open and Aster helped him sit up, the kid very weak.

“Jack, h-how did you do that?” Tooth asked as North opened a portal back to the Pole.

“I, I, I- I didn't know I could,” he admitted tiredly. “Not tog…ether,” he slurred, obviously about to pass out again.

“Take it easy mate, we’ve got it,” Aster told him, and Jack blinked at him before falling still again.

,,,,,,,,,,,

Tooth nursed her burnt hand, she knew Jack hadn’t meant to hurt her, it was just his body’s reaction to what he’d done. She had never imagined he was that powerful but to see it…it was amazing and a little terrifying all at once. It had certainly done more damage to Pitch than any of the rest of them.

Seeing him fight to get to Sandy…she wondered if maybe they had known each other. If there was one Guardian that Jack was likely to run into, it was the Sandman and Sandy would not have scorned him. He was not a child physically, but he wasn’t much passed it and Sandy would have known that, would have reached out. Why never mention it to them though?

She could see why Manny had chosen Jack as a Guardian, he wanted to protect people. You could see it in the way he fought, in how he had looked at the sleeping Jamie. She just hoped he hadn’t hurt himself badly trying to get Pitch.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Grim watched the two fall from the sky, sighing when he realised he was unneeded. He would love to claim Pitch Black, but he kept escaping him. Jack Frost had certainly come a long way since his creation, his powers continuing to grow despite his frozen body.

Perhaps…yes, he would speak with her and the Man in the Moon about finding a way to restore him even partially, he had known enough pain in his short life, he should be allowed some pleasure too. What did humans find most pleasurable though? Food? Sleep? Ah well, he’d leave that up to someone who knew more of the living or even have them ask the boy.

For now, he would have to pass the Moon’s test in facing Pitch.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack huddled on the windowsill, face hidden by his hood, unable to join the others. The cold of the Pole was helping him recover from whatever he’d done but he was still tired. Sandy…Sandy was gone, his first friend, the one who had taught him so much…it hurt! He’d never imagined outliving the Sandman of all beings, he was a Guardian, crazy powerful…and Pitch had taken him down with one arrow.

Was he dead? Or…his sand had turned black, had it made him into a Nightmare too? Jack shivered, pressing against the glass. He didn’t want to sleep because he’d had nightmares after he passed out in the Sleigh. For someone who rarely slept they were shocking to suddenly have. They didn’t make sense either. Weird images, people he didn’t know. A woman…so beautiful but cold, she’d caressed his face, kissed him…they’d been in bed together! He was a teenager, dreaming about sex should be natural and not a nightmare but with her…she terrified him, and he didn’t know why.

That attack, he’d formed thundersnow storms before when training himself in Antarctica and he regularly shot electrical ice around but combining the two? He’d never considered doing that and yet it had just happened in response to his rage. It wasn’t something he’d want to try too often, it was all but impossible to control and utterly exhausting, though he could probably adapt to the power drain with time.

He pressed a finger to the glass, frost spreading out to form a small image of Sandy even as North joined him, the ceremony must be over then.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster smirked as they tumbled out of the tunnel, North and his Yeti’s landing in a heap while Tooth and Jack shot out under their own power. The kid was grinning, cheeks flushed an odd colour, at least he was livelier now than he had been when Phil had lifted him from the Sleigh.

“Ah ha ha. Buckle up. Is very funny,” North grumbled as he got up.

“Hehe,” he snickered but then moved in front of them and gestured at the greenery all around. “Welcome to the Warren,” he smirked but then sat up, alert, turning towards a tunnel. His ears perked up, nose twitching. “Something's up.”

A horde of his undecorated googies came running out of the tunnel, so he grabbed his boomerangs, ready to fight. How had Pitch breached the Warren? The others got up; weapons ready as his Sentinel Eggs spun their faces around to look mean.

He let out a war cry and took off for the tunnel, the others following him, only to skid to a stop as a little girl ran out of the tunnel with googies in her arms. She stopped and stared at them and they quickly hid their weapons.

“Sophie?” Frostbite asked in shock even as she dropped the googies with a cheerful laugh.

“What is she doing here?” Aster demanded, how had she gotten in?

North patted himself down. “Uhh... snowglobe,” he offered apologetically. 

“Crikee, somebody do something!” he demanded, no one came into his Warren! He glanced at Frostbite who snickered and backed away.

“Well, don't look at me, I'm invisible, remember?”

“Elf, elf,” Sophie called gleefully, and Aster actually felt sorry for the poor thing as she dragged it around.

“Don't worry, Bunny. I bet she's a ~Fairy Fan~!” Tooth flew out, grabbing the ankle biters attention as she twirled and posed. “It's okay, little one.”

“Pretty!” Sophie clapped.

“Ohh! You know what? I've got something ~for you~! Here it is! Look at all the ~pretty teeth~! ~With little blood and gum on them~!” Tooth held out a handful of someone’s baby teeth and Aster saw Frost face palm in his peripheral vision. Sure enough the kid ran away crying.

Jack chuckled, flying after her. “Blood and gums?” he asked in disbelief. “When was the last time you guys actually hung out with kids?” he settled on one of the rock eggs as Sophie chased more googies under it.

“Peek-a-boo!”

“We are very busy bringing joy to children! We don't have time...” North trailed off in shame and Aster grimaced as he realised what he was saying. “for children.”

“Hmmm,” Jack smirked, lifting a hand and a large snowflake formed, dancing around his hand. “If one little kid can ruin Easter, then... we're in worse shape than I thought. “ he blew it into the air.

“Whee!” Sophie chased after the snowflake, which ended up on Aster's nose.

His nose twitched and he felt foreign magic settle in him, and then he was smiling.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack found Bunny and Sophie sitting at the top of Dispatch Hill, the kid sleepily crawling into his arms. “Not bad,” he grinned.

“Not bad, yourself,” Bunny offered, shocking him.

“Ah, look, I- I'm sorry about the whole- you know, the "kangaroo" thing?” he nervously ran a hand through his hair.

There was silence for a moment before Bunny spoke, “It's the accent, isn't it?” they both chuckled a little and for the first time Jack thought maybe Bunny didn’t hate him. It was a nice feeling. “Ah, poor little ankle-biter. Look at 'er, all tuckered out,” Bunny said as the others joined them.

“I love her,” Tooth cooed as Baby tooth chittered and Sophie cooed in her sleep. “I think it's time to get her home.”

“How about I take her home?” he offered, he needed some space and cooler weather. The Warren wasn’t as warm as the Tooth Palace, but it was…stiller.

“Jack, no, Pitch is out there—” she began to argue, and he held up his staff.

“No match for this,” he lied. Maybe in time he’d trust them to know the staff wasn’t so necessary anymore.

“Which is why we need you here, with us,” Bunny told him, and he’d never dreamed of hearing words like those from him.

“Trust me, I'll be quick as a bunny,” he grinned, making finger-walking motions too, teasing him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack closed Sophie’s bedroom window, sharing a grin with Baby Tooth. Crazy little kid hadn’t wanted to let go of him in her sleep. It had been strange…but kind of nice, even if she couldn’t see him when awake. “We should get back.”

_‘Jack!’_

He froze at the sound of his name. “Tha- that voice, I know that voice,” he whispered dazedly.

Baby Tooth chittered nervously; she didn’t hear anything.

_‘Jack!’_

He took off, looking around, landing on a roof as he tried to find the voice, ignoring Baby Tooth’s calls to go back to the Warren.

_‘Jack!’_

He dashed off again, into the forest around his lake, landing on the ground to actually walk.

_‘Jack?’_

Jack saw an old rotted bedpost with no mattress and started walking towards it, but Baby Tooth tried to hold him back. “Don't worry, ssh, there's still time.”

And now she was panicking because he seemed barely aware of her, focused on something she couldn’t….No! He wouldn’t? But he had! Jack had no memories! If his tooth box was activated then he’d be drawn to it, unable to ignore it for anything. She couldn’t do anything either, her Mother might but she was in the Warren.

Jack walked towards the bed slowly, then knocked some pieces away with his staff to see into the hole below the bed.

_‘Jack?’_

He leapt into the darkness without hesitation and Baby Tooth lunged after him, scrambling into his hood. She couldn’t abandon him when he was like this! She had to get to his tooth box and either finish activating it or deactivate it for later. Then Jack would be okay and able to focus.

“I have to find out what that is!” he whispered, flying into an open air chasm, seeing the cages hanging from the rock roof. He blinked and shook his head before flying to them, seeing the fairies inside. “Ssh, keep it down! 'M gonna get you out of here just as soon as—"

_‘Jack?’_

Jack looked down and noticed the piles of tooth boxes,

_‘Jack?’_

“--As I can,” he mumbled, dropping down from the cages despite Baby Tooth’s cries.

She quickly explained why he had abandoned them, and they understood. Pitch was using his teeth against him. How had he known how to activate them? He definitely wasn’t doing it out of the kindness of his heart, and they urged her to get to Jack, to stay with him, and she went to only to have a shadow grab her before she could cry for help.

Jack dug through the boxes, unable to think of anything else as he desperately searched for the voice.

“Looking for something?” Pitch called and Jack turned, firing an ice blast at where he was before chasing after him. “Hehehe... Don't be afraid, Jack,” he taunted. “I'm not gonna' hurt you.”

Jack slid onto the end of the bridge, looking around warily, head clearing. “Afraid? I'm not afraid of you.”

“Maybe not. But you are afraid of something.”

“You think so, huh?” he moved slowly, trying to pin down where Pitch’s voice was coming from, but the Shadows were his domain and he could be anywhere.

“I know so! It's the one thing I always know: people's greatest fears. Yours is that no one will ever believe in you.” His shadow overtook Jack, making him fall through the bridge and into another dark corridor, Pitch laughing.

Jack shouted in shock as he landed hard on the cobblestone floor, grateful he didn’t feel pain like normal. He got to his feet, looking around. He had the feeling he should be more afraid than he was, but he lacked the working adrenal gland to send out the hormones involved so his was a purely emotional reaction with no physical component. He knew when he’d first become Jack Frost he’d react more like a living person and now he knew he’d once been one, he figured it had been lingering hormones and stuff.

“And worst of all, you're afraid you'll never know why - why you?”

Jack bounded off into the dark, only to find another wall, so he turned to face Pitch and yes, he was scared, just not terrified. Pitch had the advantage and they both knew it.

“Why were you chosen? To be like this. Well fear not, for the answer to that… is right here,” he held the tooth box out. “Do you want them, Jack? Your memories.”

Jack stared at the smiling face on the end of the box, his face but alive, hair and eyes brown. Slowly he reached out for it, unable to stop himself but then he pulled his hand back, making Pitch laugh. He vanished again and Jack darted off through the cages.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster hurled his boomerang again, heart pounding in his chest as they fought the never ending flood of Nightmares. They had swarmed the tunnels before they could move the googies to the surface and where intent on destroying them all rather than taking him and the others out.

Where was Frostbite? He should have been back hours ago. Had Pitch…why had they let him go alone? Pitch would want Jack dealt with, cut off from help. Had they sent him to his death or worse? He...he’d been so wrong about the kid and now he’d never get to tell him. Then again, they might not make it out either.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Pitch formed his body out of Jack's shadow. “Everything you wanted to know - in this little box,” he laughed as Jack chased him. “Why did you end up like this? Unseen, unable to reach out to anyone - you want the answers so badly. You want to grab them and fly off with them, but you're afraid of what the Guardians will think. You're afraid of disappointing them. Well let me ease your mind about one thing: they'll never accept you, not really—"

Jack groaned and grabbed his head, fear growing, the words echoing in his mind like…like something forgotten. “Stop it, STOP IT!” he screamed.

“After all, you're not one of them.” He appeared from the shadows again, backing Jack up against his dark globe of the Earth.

“You don't know what I am!” He snarled, levelling his staff at Pitch.

“'Course I do! You're Jack Frost! You make a mess wherever you go - why you're doing it right now,” he chuckled and tossed the tooth box into Jack’s hand. 

Jack stared down at it and then looked up at Pitch in horror. “What did you do?”

“More to the point Jack, what did you do?” He cackled as he backed off into the darkness again.

Jack chased him through corridor after corridor, firing ice at the slightest glance. He stumbled out into a tunnel and then turned to find a stone wall behind him, it wouldn’t budge! “Baby Tooth!”

“Happy Easter, Jack...” Pitch whispered, and Jack turned around slowly.

“No...” he choked out at the sight of smashed googies littering the tunnel floor. He… he had to find them; they couldn’t be dead too!

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“They don't see me... They don't see me...” Aster crumpled, crying softly, and Tooth went to go to him only to tense at the sound of approaching footsteps.

She gasped as Jack stumbled into the clearing, visibly shocked and concerned and it was a relief to see him alive and apparently unharmed, though paler than normal. 

“Jack! Where were you?” North asked, moving towards him. “The Nightmares attacked the tunnels, they smashed every egg, crushed every basket - nothing made it to the surface!”

She flitted over, concerned by how shocky he seemed. “Jack!” She froze as she noticed the tooth box. “Where did you get that?”

“I was- It's, uh—"

“Where's Baby Tooth?” She gasped, horrified. Her little fairy had barely left Jack’s side since he had saved her from the Nightmare and now…now she was gone. “Oh Jack, what have you done?” she couldn’t help the words, seeing him flinch, almost curling around his staff.

“That is why you weren't here? You were with Pitch?” North demanded angrily and Jack stumbled back from him, blue eyes wide.

“No, listen! Listen!” he sighed, glancing around. “I'm sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen!”

Tooth paused, something…something didn’t add up, but before she could speak Aster did, turning to glare at Jack.

“He has to go.”

Jack stared at Aster. “What?”

“We should never have trusted you!” Aster shouted, heartbroken and betrayed. He shook his head and briefly lifted a paw as if to strike Jack but then lowered it. “Easter is... new beginnings, new life. Easter's about Hope. And now it's gone.” He turned and shuffled away.

Jack turned around, but North turned away from him. Tooth stared at him, torn, and then glanced at North. Jack pulled out the wooden baby from North's nesting doll and dropped it in the grass.

Tooth felt the wind and turned back, seeing only the doll in the grass, Jack’s form vanishing in the distance. “I…I think we’ve made a mistake.”

“Tooth?” North looked at her.

“Something doesn’t add up,” she stated, and Aster looked over at her. “Why would he come back?” she asked.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster stared at her, confused. Why would he come back…if he had betrayed them. Frostbite wasn’t an idiot. If he had gone to Pitch, traded Baby Tooth for his memories, then why come back to them?

He frowned, trying to think on how Jack had looked when he first appeared. He’d…he’d stumbled…one thing he knew, the kid was always graceful, in the air or on the ground. He’d been pale, even for him. Shock…he’d been in shock.

He looked at the others, heart sinking. Pitch had taken Jack; he hadn’t gone to him. But Pitch had known how they’d react, him especially, and so he’d kept him long enough for Easter to fail, and then released him to find them. And they had played right into Pitch’s hands. What had they done? Sandy was going to come back from the dead just to murder him for this if anything happened to Fros…Jack.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack ran up the side of an ice cliff and went to throw his tooth box into the sea but then stopped, unable to go through with it. He sighed and looked down at it, he should head home, it was a few more miles inland. Maybe he’d just stay there forever, let others handle Winter without him. Not like anyone would miss him.

“I thought this might happen. They never really believed in you. I was just trying to show you that. But I understand.”

Jack reeled on Pitch, blasting him with ice. “YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!” he screamed in rage.

“No?!” Pitch demanded as they fought across the ice. “I do know what it's like to be cast out!”

Jack screamed back wordlessly, their clashing powers creating a fog that Pitch disappeared into. Jack looked around wildly, panting for unneeded air.

“To not be believed in!” Pitch called and Jack spun, seeing him. “To long for... a family.”

Jack lowered his staff, listening. He…knew what it was like?

“All those years in the shadows, I thought, 'No one else knows what this feels like.' But now I see I was wrong. We don't have to be alone, Jack. I believe in you - and I know children will too!”

“In me?” he whispered; it was all he wanted.

“Yes! Look at what we can do!” Pitch gestured to a spiky creation of ice and black sand, made during their clash. “What goes together better than cold and dark? We can make them believe! We'll give them a world where everything, everything is-“

“Pitch Black?” He asked, shaking off any feeling of understanding. No, Pitch was just trying to play him.

“And Jack Frost too,” he hurried to correct but Jack saw through it now. “They'll believe in both of us.”

“No, they'll fear both of us. And that's not what I want,” Jack snapped. “Now for the last time, leave me alone,” he turned and began walking away.

“Very well. You want to be left alone? Done! But first...” the smirk could be heard in his voice and Jack froze at the familiar cries.

Jack flew back towards Pitch, staff at the ready. “Baby Tooth!” he landed and lowered the staff at Pitch again,

“The staff, Jack! You have a bad habit of interfering. Now hand it over, and I'll let her go,” Pitch held out his empty hand and Jack froze.

His staff? He didn’t really need it anymore but…something still told him that it was important, had to be kept safe. Baby Tooth shook her head, but Jack lowered his staff, spinning it around, and handed it off to Pitch. “Alright – “ he held out his hand, “now let her go.”

Pitch smirked and then frowned. “No.”

Jack’s face went from shocked to furious, the ice beneath them cracking and creaking.

“You said you wanted to be alone. So be alone!” he began tightening his grip.

Baby Tooth glared at Pitch, then stabbed her beak into his hand with as squeal of rage. How dare he hurt her Jack!

  
“Oh!” he called in pain and then he threw her into a nearby crack in the ice.

“No!” Jack watched her fly away and then turned to Pitch just as he snapped his staff in half. Jack let out a choked off scream, clutching weakly at his chest as he doubled over. He gasped as a wave of Nightmare sand slammed into him, crashing into the ice wall behind him, hearing the crack of his head as it hit. Then the sand let him go and he fell into the fissure.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Pitch smirked and walked over, looking down at the broken body of Jack Frost. Well, that was one issue handily neutralised. If he wasn’t dead yet, he would be soon. Now for the remaining Guardians. He vanished from the ice, heading back to the North Pole.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack stirred slowly, feeling weaker than he ever had before. He could feel frozen, old blood, in his hair from where his head had hit the ice. He saw Baby Tooth and began dragging himself over to her, unable to move his legs. Had he broken his spine? He’d heal but he was very glad he was already dead! “Baby Tooth!” he coughed. “You alright?” his chest was killing him, but he scooped her up, covering her with his hand but she twittered and then sneezed, and he sighed sadly. “Sorry, all I can do is keep you cold,” he opened his hand again and used the nearby wall to pull himself into a sitting position, legs sprawled out. “Pitch was right... I make a mess of everything.”

Baby Tooth jumped out of his hand and crawled into the pocket of his hoody, as if ignoring him.

“Hey.” He closed his eyes, leaning against the wall of the fissure, there was nothing he could do until his body finished fixing itself.

_‘Jack?’_

He stiffened as the voice called to him again, this time there was a humming sound as well.

_‘Jack!’_

Jack scrambled at his pocket in shock as it started glowing with a golden light. He shakily pulled the tooth-box out, staring dazedly at it, the voice calling to him.

_‘Jack!_

,,,,,,,,,,,

Baby Tooth felt guilty for partially activating it, but she couldn’t let him give into Pitch’s games. He had to remember so he could move on. She put her hand on the box and nodded at him.

He slowly reached out to touch the box and reality glistened away like the pieces of a kaleidoscope to reveal Jack's memory.

She watched over him as his eyes went blank, body relaxed, as he relived his human memories. She hoped they were happy at least. She winced as she heard the crack of bone from his back…she’d never seen a Spirit who healed like he did before but at least he could heal such dangerous wounds!

Jack gasped, still holding the tooth-box as awareness flooded back. Baby Tooth blinked at him, hoping something in his past would give him the resolve to move.

“Did you see- Did you see that?” he asked, blue eyes wide with awe and…joy? That was good. She shook her head; she never saw the memories. He laughed as he picked her up and she laughed along with his excitement. “It- it was- it was me! I had a family! I had a sister! I saved her!” He laughed hysterically, then looked to the moon. “That's why you chose me... I'm- I'm a Guardian!” he cried out, finally understanding.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack stood up, putting Baby Tooth in his hood where she cuddled in. “We have to get out of here.” He staggered over to his staff, picking it up and trying to fit the pieces back together, but nothing happened “Ah!” he leant against the wall before straightening again. He didn’t need it for his powers, but it was obviously tied to something rather important inside of him and he couldn’t face Pitch wounded. He focused only on what he felt this time, how being a Guardian felt, creating a blue light in the crack of the staff. The light grew brighter, swirling around the breaks, sealing the jagged ends together. Jack laughed and cheered.

“Whoo hoo hoo hoo! Come on, Baby Tooth, I owe you one!” he yelled as he soared into the air.

_‘Faster Jack, faster!’_ the wind cried in joy and he laughed again.

_TBC…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was going to finish the movie this chapter but it’s 11:30pm here and this is a good cut off spot. So goodnight and enjoy!
> 
> Someone asked about the Snow Queen showing up for the battle since they fought in her territory? Antarctica is where Jack made his home and trained himself after ’68, so no, it’s not hers so she didn’t show up. This story will be going passed the movie events though.
> 
> Also, it’s amusing to hear Bunny saying he’s bringing spring with him when he sounds like an Aussie since Easter here is in Autumn.


	8. ch8

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 8**

Aster lay in the back of the Sleigh, trying to breath past the pain, Tooth holding his paw in her hand. They finally made it back to the Pole and North helped him out. They were all losing power fast, but it was his holiday Pitch had destroyed so he was losing it faster, too fast… “This is more than just losing the holiday, he’s doin’ somethin’ to make the kids stop believing even faster,” he offered as they moved to the Globe room, watching as the lights flickered and died.

“The Nightmares?” North offered and then Tooth gasped.

“That’s why…”

“Tooth?” North pushed.

“The teeth! He’s using the teeth!”

Well, that wasn’t good. They needed to find the teeth and get them away from Pitch.

“What…what about Jack?” she asked.

“We have no way to track him,” North shook his head. “We must hope…we have not driven him to Pitch.”

“He wouldn’t, would he?” Tooth stared between them with wide eyes.

Aster wished he could say no but…he knew Pitch and they’d given him a lot to work with thanks to reacting without thinking or letting the kid explain. How much would Pitch want Jack on his side? Enough to offer, definitely, but would it be a genuine offer, or would he stab Jack in the back if he accepted? “No…Jack’s too stubborn too stubborn, we all saw how he reacted to Sandy’s death, he wouldn’t join his killer,” he stated firmly, he had to believe it. At least his words cheered Tooth up. Thing was, Pitch had ways of getting someone onside, willing or not. Could Jack fight that kind of control a second time?

They restocked what they needed, watching the Globe. “America is holding on strongest, we go there,” North announced, and they nodded. They had to keep those lights lit, somehow.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack saw the entrance to Pitch’s lair, but he had to do something first. He landed on his lake and glanced around before finding the perfect spot. He slipped his staff into a gap in the rocks and then froze it all. He wasn’t carrying his biggest weakness into another battle, not against Pitch. His chest still ached from his staff breaking, he didn’t want to know what would happen if it was damaged again so soon.

He knelt on the ice that had once killed him, smiling slightly as he thought about Hope…he knew his sister now and…he’d gotten to say goodbye in a way. Had he been drawn to that little girl because part of him recognised her even without his memories? He wondered what had happened to her and hoped she had been happy.

He stood up and Baby Tooth nuzzled the side of his neck. “Let’s go get your sisters,” he told her, lifting into the air under his own power, flying further into the forest and then down the hole. He darted into Pitch’s lair, finding it empty which was good. He flew up to the cages, freezing the locks off and yanking the doors open. “Come on, let's go!”

The fairies respond plaintively, wings fluttering weakly and he frowned in confusion. “But what- what's wrong?” they all stayed where they were, and his heart sank. “None of you can fly?” There went the plan of them rushing off to collect teeth to help bring some belief back.

Baby Tooth tugged his ear and he turned his head to see Pitch’s version of the Globe, seeing how few lights were left. He flew over to hover in front of it. “The lights...”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tooth gasped in horror. “Aster!”

North glanced back. “What wrong?”

“He…he’s shrinking!” she called back, moving to cradle him as he gasped, body shifting and changing with every light that went out. Even knowing his kind were shapeshifters, she’d never seen him do it and this did not look voluntary at all!

“Hold on!” North called, cracking the reigns.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“They’re all going out.” Jack stared in horror, Australia had three left, the whole continent of Africa was completely dark….Russia….China…Europe… one by one they continued to darken, and Jack felt sick. What could he do? He was invisible and a bit of snow wasn’t going to bring their belief back.

There were others who could fight Pitch, the various Courts, Mother Nature herself (not that he’d met her, but he’d heard stories of just how powerful she was), losing the Guardians wouldn’t mean the end for Spirits…but a world without Hope, Wonder, Dreams, and good Memories? Not one he really wanted to contemplate. And…they were his friends, even if they hated him now, even if he never got to explain what had happened.

His eyes locked on the last light, watching with a heavy heart but…it wasn’t even flickering! He landed on the Globe, staring at the light, and then his eyes went wide as he realised who it was. “Jamie!” he went to leave but then stopped, setting Baby Tooth down. “See if you can activate some of those boxes or something, remind the kids of good times, yeah?”

She nodded and hugged his finger, telling him to be careful and he grinned.

“I will,” he promised before flying away.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“There’s only one left,” Tooth whispered sadly, and Aster cuddled into her arms, even more scared of the Sleigh than normal.

He’d never realised what would happen to him if the ankle biters stopped believing in him, being forced to the size of a kit was a shock! He was totally defenceless like this! He’d never regrated becoming tied to the ankle bites belief before, but he did now.

“We will make it!” North shouted, using a snow globe to open a very shaky looking portal. They had to reach that kid before they lost belief…or Pitch got to them.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

He headed straight for Jamie’s house and hovered outside his window, using a little bit of cold to make the wood change enough to pop the lock, silently pushing it open a little. Jamie was sitting up on his bed despite the late hour, staring at an old stuff bunny.

“Okay, look, you and I are obviously at what they call a crossroads. So, here's what's gonna happen; if- if it wasn't a dream, and if you are real, then you have to prove it. Like, right now,” Jamie told the toy and Jack moved into the open window, crouching on the sill as he listened to the painful one-sided conversation. “I believed in you for a long time, okay? Like, my whole life in fact. So you kind of owe me now. You don't have to do much - just a little sign so I know. Anything. Anything at all.”

All Jack could do was watch as the kids hope began to fade. What could he do? He had to do something! Who knew what having only Jamie left was doing to the Guardians.

“I knew it,” Jamie mumbled, dropping the bunny to the floor.

Jack looked down, there went the last light. He had to…Bunny, if he could just get Jamie to believe in Bunny again He entered through the window and then touched a finger to the glass, spreading frost over one pane. He looked up to see Jamie looking his way, watching the frost. He then used his finger to draw an Easter egg in the frost, grinning when Jamie gasped in shock. Jack frosted the next pane up and then drew a bunny on it, now for the hard part.

“He's real...”

He’d done this only twice before, but it would be the best way to prove magic was real. He concentrated on the rabbits shape, on how a rabbit would move, holding his hands over the image as he poured power into it, laughing in relief when the rabbit came free of the glass, hopping around the room.

“Woah! Hahaha!” He bounced on the bed and laughed some more. Jack watched and laughed along, relieved it had worked. Jamie touched the rabbit and it burst into snow inside of his room. “Woah!” He laughed as the rabbit exploded and it began snowing in the room “... Snow?” A snowflake landed on Jamie's nose, his back to Jack who was watching him, enjoying his joy. “Jack Frost...”

Jack froze in shock. “Did he just say—"

Jamie stood back up on his bed. “Jack Frost?” He started looking around his room, not that Jack noticed, too shocked.

“He said it again! He said-- You said—” Jack gasped.

Jamie looked in his direction, eyes wide. “Jack Frost!”

“That's right! But- but that's me! Jack Frost! That's my name! You said my name!” Jack laughed in disbelief but then he blinked. Was Jamie…he glanced behind him but there was nothing there that’d have the kid gaping, except… “Wait, c- can you hear me?” he asked shakily, not wanting to get his hopes up but then Jamie nodded. “Can- can you... can you see me?” another nod and Jack laughed in shock. “He sees me! He- he sees me!” He back-flipped in joy onto Jamie's table.

“You just made it snow!” Jamie grinned at him and Jack laughed, unable to contain his joy at finally being seen by a child.

“I know!”

“In my room!” the boy bounced on his bed in excitement.

“I know!” He couldn’t help bouncing around the room a bit himself. The last of the pain from Pitch’s attack on his staff became much easier to ignore as warmth filled his chest.

“You're real?”

“Yeah, man- Who do you think brings you all the blizzards, and- and the snow days? And you remember when you went flying on that sled the other day?” he babbled.

“That was you?!” Jamie laughed and Jack nodded.

“That was me!!”

“Cool!” the kid bounced more as he spoke, and Jack couldn’t stop grinning. 

“Right?”

“But what about the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy, like, I mean-“

“All real, real, real! Every one of us is real!” Jack was quick to tell him, the stronger his belief the better, right? “We were all here the other night! You just couldn’t see me.”

“I knew it! Wait…you were the one Bunny talked to!”

“Jamie!” His Mom called and they both froze. “Who're you talking to?”

“Uhm...” he looked at Jack who cocked his head at the door, a smile making his lips twitch. “Jack Frost?”

Mrs. Bennett laughed. “Okay...”

The two laughed at her reaction but then looked to the window at a sound and Jack moved to look, seeing an out of control Sleigh heading for the street below. “Wanna meet the others?” he asked Jamie who nodded. “Rug up. Don’t want Jack Frost nipping at your nose.” Jamie laughed but rushed to grab his jacket. “Shoes too! I’ll see you out there.” With that he leapt through the open window, Jamie watching in awe as he flew.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

North managed to land in one piece at least, the Sleigh settling heavily on the street and then he called after his reindeer as they ran off before sighing.

“North are you okay?” Tooth asked, putting a hand on his arm.

“Is official. My powers are kaput!” he winced as the sleigh settled with a thud.

Tooth suddenly gasped. “Look!” she pointed, and North looked up, shocked to see a staff-less Jack landing in the street nearby. He’d…come back?

Jack looked the Sleigh over, obviously seeing the damage and North couldn’t help but wonder, how had Jack known to come here? Was he there to help them…or Pitch?

,,,,,,,,,

Tooth jumped off the sleigh, falling to the street. “Jack!” She stumbled to her feet. “Jack!” He’d come back! He was okay!

And then Jack was there, cold hands on her arms, steadying her. “You okay?” he asked softly, and she gingerly brushed her feathers back, a little embarrassed by such a graceless greeting.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

North got out, using one of his swords as a crutch, feeling every year of his age now. It was a good sign that the boy moved to Tooth’s side when she fell, but still… “What are you doing here?” he asked, unable to help the suspicion after Easter.

Jack looked at him and gave a small smile. “Same as you.” He looked back at the house as Jamie ran out, stopping to stare at them all.

He could see them! “The last light!” Did it matter how Jack had known? He had come and Jamie was coming to them, dressed for the cold.

“Wow! It is you! I mean, it is you!” the boy then shocked them all by turning to Jack and laughing. “I knew it wasn't a dream!”

“Jack, he sees you!” he whispered in awe.

Jack shoved Jamie on the shoulder in fondness but then frowned, looking around. “Wait- but- where's Bunny?” he asked fearfully.

North shook his head, looking back at the Sleigh. “Losing Easter took its toll on all of us. Bunny most of all.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

In Pitch’s lair, Baby Tooth dug through the boxes, looking for the ones for the kids in Burgess, tapping each one when she found it. Having children nearby remembering, believing again would be the best help.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster huddled in the Sleigh, exhausted from transforming. He heard Tooth call out for Jack and slumped, the kid was alive! He’d come back despite what Aster had said, had almost done… he heard North’s whisper and smiled, Jack had a Believer! His first…and now he felt sick…Jack had had none when Manny chose him as a Guardian…if he’d taken the Oath then and there…what would it have done to him? They could have killed him!

He shook it off as he heard Jack ask about him and….was that fear in his voice, fear for him? One way to find out. He leapt up, tiny claws scrabbling for purchase in the wood and then he was up on the edge, glancing up at Jack whose eyes went wide.

“Oh no...” then Jack was there, scooping him up, holding him close. Cool lips grazed his ear and he fought back a shiver at the sudden temperature change. “Aster,” Jack whispered, and he froze.

He…he said his name! He knew his name! He pulled back, looking up at Jacks’ face, seeing the cheeky smile the kid had always worn back then. “You…you really are little Jack?” that got a nod. “Oh kid…” he’d been sure Jack was little Jack but now he had confirmation from the boy himself, not so much a boy though after three hundred years. Jack remembered! Of course…the tooth box, he must have opened it while he was gone, seen his human memories.

He felt Jack shift, saw the slightest of winces, and he was worried, he knew from Sandy that Jack didn’t feel most pain, not in a normal way. Was he hurt? He couldn’t smell any blood at least. He went to ask but someone else spoke before he could.

,,,,,,,,,,,

“That's the Easter Bunny?” Jamie called and Jack looked away from Aster, from his childhood friend and nodded, carefully setting Aster back down.

“Now somebody sees me! Awh- where were you 'bout an hour ago, mate?” Aster demanded grumpily before glancing back at him as if making sure he was still there.

“What happened to him? He used to be huge, and cool, and now he's... cute,” Jamie reached out to scratch under his ear and Jack bit back a laugh when one of Aster’s legs began to thump against the Sleigh.

“Oh, s' good!” he sighed, and Jack had to literally bite his lip but then Aster shook it off, batting Jamie’s hand away. “Did you tell him to say that?” he crossed his arms and stared at Jack.

“No, actually, he told me you were real! Just when I started to think that maybe you weren't,” Jamie quickly explained and Jack felt frost form on his cheeks, knowing he was blushing at the kids words.

Aster stared at Jamie. “He made you believe? In me?” When Jamie nodded Aster turned back to him, grateful and sorry and Jack smiled at him.

Thunder and lightning crackled in the sky, startling all of the Guardians, notably Aster. This was not one of Jack’s storms, it felt…malevolent in a way even the worst blizzard never was. Clouds of black Nightmare sand appeared, Pitch riding on top, and Jack looked at the others.

“Get Jamie out of here!”

North stared at him and then nodded “Be careful, Jack!”

He nodded and then glanced at Aster and Tooth before taking off into the air.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster hesitated, watching Jack fly towards Pitch, the air turning cold.

“Jack Frost!?” Pitch sounded shocked to see Jack, like…just what had happened when Jack left them for Pitch to sound so shocked by his presence, like he’d expected to never see Jack again? 

,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack could see what Pitch was doing as he flew towards him, the killing freeze of winter boiling under his skin.

“Let's end this, shall we?!” Pitch dove towards him and Jack unleashed the eager power, watching black sand freeze, but not all of it. “That little trick doesn't work on me anymore!” Pitch gloated, sending a wave of sand after Jack who dodged and twisted in the air as he froze more of it.

Both of them had gained power since their last confrontation. Jack sent a blast at Pitch, sending him reeling but then he cried out as he was hit from behind by a wave, sending him tumbling from the sky. 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“This way, this way!” He led the way into an alley and came to a quick stop. “Ahhh, dead end! Other way, other way!”

Tooth and Jamie started running, but North was hobbling. They made it halfway back to the street before something made an awful racket back in the alley and Aster turned to look, taking off back down the alley as Jack fell off the dumpster he’d hit to lie on his stomach on the ground.

“Jack!” Jamie yelled, all of them running for Jack who was already pushing himself up thankfully.

“That was good try, Jack - A for effort,” North offered as Jack stumbled slightly before straightening.

“He's stronger,” Jack warned, and Tooth reached out to him, but he dodged back. “No one touch me,” he told them, and they startled. “Frostbite isn’t fun,” he shrugged slightly, and Aster realised the air temperature around Jack was way too low.

They looked up as the storm crackled, Nightmare sand and an actual storm clashing in the air. Seemed like Pitch wasn’t the only one more powerful and it made senses, Jack had been kind of scary powerful before but now he had a believer, that would add a nice boost. How powerful could he become with the kind of numbers they usually had?

Pitch laughed and Jack moved in front of them protectively. “All this fuss over one little boy and still he refuses to stop believing! Very well. There are other ways to snuff out a light,” Pitch taunted, and the lights began going out one by one.

“If you want him, you're gonna have to go through me!” Aster growled, moving out in front.

“Oh, look how fluffy you are!” His shadow poked at Aster from the ground. “Would you like a scratch behind the ears?”

He hopped back, into North’s hand as a blast of ice hit the shadow. “Don't you even think about it!”

“I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you all like this!” Pitch and the Nightmares moved out of the shadows, seemingly trapping them in the alley. “You look awful.”

“Jack, I'm scared,” Jamie whispered.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack crouched carefully in front of Jamie, not wanting to accidentally hurt him with how cold he was at the moment, remembering his sister saying the same thing. “I- I know, I know, but you're gonna be alright. We're gonna have a little fun instead,” he whispered slowly and then his eyes widened as it hit him. “That's it - that's my centre!” he grinned but Jamie just looked confused.

Pitch chuckles as he watched them. “So what do you think, Jamie? Do you believe in the Boogey-- AH!” he cried out in shock as a snowball nailed him in the face, the Nightmares prancing about, confused.

Jamie giggled, covering his mouth with his hand, even as North chuckled.

Jack laughed along, looking around, grinning as he spotted what he needed before looking back at Jamie. “Now let's go get your friends.” He tapped the ground and a streak of ice shot out through the alley. Jack grabbed the old bin lids and bowl and Jamie grinned, jumping on one and going sliding down the ice, the others following, North throwing Aster into the bowl, Jack flying over them to keep the ice going.

They careened down the middle of the street, laughing as Jack kept them moving. Even Aster seemed to be enjoying himself for a brief moment. It didn’t take long for all of Jamie’s friends to not only see him but to rug up and join in.

The gang finally slid to a halt in downtown, where Pitch's army was gathered, waiting for them.

“Whoo! Yeah-hah!” Monty laughed, running passed them and then he saw where they were all looking and ran behind North, screaming.

“You think a few children can help you? Against this?” Pitch sneered.

North tried to hold up his sword, but he was too weak. Behind the Guardians all the kids looked scared and worried.

Jack glanced back and smiled softly. “They're just bad dreams, Jamie.”

“'N we'll protect you, mate,” Aster promised, moving forward.

“Oh, you'll protect them?” Pitch laughed. “But who will,” he was cut off by a wall of ice, having to pull his Nightmare back to avoid being hit, glaring at a smirking Jack.

Jack took in a deep breath and looked up at the storm heavy clouds above them, lifting his arms, his eyes glowing with magic, and then he dropped his hands and the storm hit. The temperature plummeted, the wind howling as it slammed into the Nightmares, snow and ice following it.

“Wow,” one of the kids whispered in awe. Their breath was fogging but the air around the group remained warmer than that attacking Pitch and the Nightmares.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

North watched in awe as Jack summoned a storm unlike anything he could have imagined the young Spirit was capable of….and all without his staff. Maybe he didn’t actually need it? he glanced at Tooth and Aster, seeing their awe. Jack had come so far so quickly, despite their doubt of him. Manny had truly chosen well.

“Look out!” Aster yelped as a wave of black sand headed for Jack’s side but then Jamie was there, hand raised in an effort to protect his face. “Kid!”

They were once more frozen in shock as the sand exploded on impact with the boy, turning from black to gold. “I’m not afraid of you!” Jamie yelled at Pitch.

The golden sand spun around them and Tooth suddenly gasped and then she was airborne again.

“Yeah, Tooth Fairy!” The kids cheered as she began flying around, attacking the sand.

North laughed as he felt his strength return, lifting his swords effortlessly. “Aha!”

“Oh yeah!” Monty cheered and North knew the boy was definitely getting that computer game he wanted for Christmas this year.

“No! Get them! Do your job!” Pitch yelled at the Nightmares as more and more sand turned gold or froze under Jack’s ice.

,,,,,,,,,,

The fairies descended on the boxes, touching them, activating every one they could get their hands on, feeling the belief come back.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster grinned as the others regained their strength, closing his eyes. “Oh yeah, come on, come on!” he heard something and looked back, taking off as Nightmares pursued him. “Oh crikey!”

He glanced over as he ran by, seeing North open two portals, Yeti’s running out, ready for battle.

Why was it taking so long for him to change back? He saw a car up ahead and dashed for it, scrambling under. “'M just a bunny!” he complained as a Nightmare grabbed his tail and dragged him out, but he felt the magic shift, returning him to his regular form again, hanging upside down. “G'day, mate.” He pumped his feet, knocking out the Nightmare that was holding him, somersaulting into the air, tossing his boomerang towards another, and then caught it. he grinned at the staring kids and then thumped the ground, opening up tunnels to reveal three of his Sentinel Eggs. “Come on!”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack flew up to meet Pitch, the two clashing over and over, but this time things were beginning to turn in Jack’s favour. He had gained believers while Pitch was being drained by their lack of fear and the fact they were fighting back.

Pitch almost snuck in a surprise attack on Jack, but Tooth bust through some of the Nightmares, spinning as she flew, and Jack laughed.

  
“Thanks Tooth!” he called after her, sending another blast.

Seeing Aster pop up out of a chimney made him laugh again as the Easter Bunny three his boomerangs. “Ho ho ho!”

They fought across the roofs until Pitch tumbled to the ground, scrambling away as they all advanced on him. “It's over, Pitch. There's no place to hide,” Jack told him, walls of ice cutting off any escape. He was going to actually need sleep when this was all over and done.

Pitch disappeared into the shadows and laughed, then reappeared behind Jack who had turned around, looking for him.

“Jack, look out!” Aster yelled, hurtling a boomerang at Pitch, throwing off his aim but he recovered quickly,

He went to attack again and then a golden whip wrapped around Pitch's wrist.

“Sandy?” Jack whispered, aimless golden sand was one thing, but a whip?

Pitch was suddenly yanked all the way to a swirling mass of golden sand. Jack and the other Guardians looked on, hopeful. Out of the glow emerged the Sandman, smirking at Pitch, who couldn’t believe his eyes. Sandy yanks him close, then tsked him silently. He punched Pitch into the air while still hanging onto Pitch by his whip, which looked more like a balloon string.

“The Sandman!” Monty called happily.

Sandy created a bowler hat and tipped it to the children, making Jack laugh. He’d thought he’d never see that again! Jamie gave a salute in response. Sandy noticed his whip twitching, so yanked Pitch down to the ground, letting him smash into the icy ground where golden butterflies danced around his head.

Jack practically teleported over, lifting Sandy to hug, even as he brought his powers under control, locking the cold away so he didn’t freeze Sandy’s sand. He cut the power to the storm as well, forcing it to dissipate. Looked like the kids would be getting one last Snow Day for the year…in one town only, oops? The other Guardians were soon there, hugging Sandy and welcoming him back.

Jack watched Sandy rise up on his cloud of sand to control everything, bringing back beautiful dreams to children. Animals of golden sand began walking over snow and ice and Jack leapt back before a dinosaur could step on him, laughing. He saw Cupcake tap a Nightmare on the nose, transforming it into a golden unicorn.

Jack saw Jamie about to touch a school of golden fish and smirked, throwing a snowball at his back. Jamie laughed and picked up a snowball to fire back. He hit Monty, and the kids were quickly embroiled in another free-for all. Sandman descended to the ground as North approached Jack who backed out of the fight to face him.

“Your centre?”

“Well, it took a while, but I figured it out,” he grinned, catching what North tossed at him, laughing when he looked at the object to find his own carved wooden baby. He looked up at North who winked at him and then looked stunned as he was hit by a snowball, Caleb and Claude quickly blaming an elf.

“Haha! You're all on Naughty List! Bunny! Think fast!” He pelted Aster in the face, which actually made him smile when he sat up.

“You dare have fun in my presence?! I am the Boogeyman! And you will fear me!” At Pitch’s voice Jack tensed, turning, only to watch as Jamie ran through him. “No! Oh... No...”

The Guardians watched as Pitch became horrified, then bolted for the forest. He ran across the frozen lake, only to crash into North as they all stood on the lake, falling to the ground.

“Leaving the party so soon?” North asked.

“You didn't even say goodbye!” Tooth tossed him a quarter.

“A quarter?” Pitch sneered only for his head to snap around as a delicate fist slammed into his jaw, a tooth flying onto the ice.

“And that's for my fairies.”

Pitch got to his feet. “You can't get rid of me! Not forever! There will always be fear!”

“So what? As long as one child believes, we will be here to fight fear,” North chuckled, arms crossed.

Pitch smirked as he saw the nightmares emerging from the trees. “Really? Then what are they doing here?”

“Haha!” North laughed and then shrugged. “They can't be my Nightmares, I'm not afraid.”

Jack smirked. “Looks like it's your fear they smell.” Just in case he readied some ice, but it wasn’t needed as Pitch gasped and turned to run, the Nightmares chasing him. They heard Pitch’s screams trail off and Jack figured a certain hole in the ground was now in worse shape.

He looked up at the moon as the clouds part with a knowing smirk and then stumbled as Tooth giggled and hugged him, then pulled herself away as Baby Tooth chastised her. Jack laughed at the sight.

“Are you ready now, Jack? To make it official,” North asked, and Jack walked away, surprising them all. He pressed his hand to the frozen rock, melting the ice to retrieve his staff before walking back over and nodding. “Then is time you take Oath: Will you, Jack Frost, vow to watch over the children of the world?” North asked as the kids walked towards them, watching silently. “To guard them with your life - their hopes, their wishes, and their dreams, for they are all that we have, all that we are, and all that we will ever be.”

Jack looked back to Jamie, who nodded at him, grinning.

Jack turned back to North and smiled. “I will.”

“Then, congratulations, Jack Frost - for you are now, and forevermore, a Guardian!” Everyone cheered while North picked Jack up and kissed his cheeks. “Klassno!” He set Jack back down and he stumbled, a little shocked, still not used to all the physical contact they seemed to like.

“That's my boy!” Aster yelled and Jack looked over at him, grinning slightly.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“Keep it together, girls,” Tooth chided her fairies, watching the kids cheer and congratulate Jack even if they didn’t know exactly what was going on. Jack looked…so much happier, more relaxed even. It was good to see.

She still felt so bad that he had been without his memories for so long, if she’d known she would have gone to him. Hopefully he still had his tooth box, she would help him activate it and deal with whatever was stored within as soon as her Palace was back to normal. Maybe he would like to help clean it up? They could all help her and then Aster since the Warren was also a mess.

She looked up as the Sleigh soared towards them, the reindeer back where they belonged. The kids chattered about it and even Aster admitted that everyone loved the Sleigh!

“Time to go,” North called, and Sandy tossed sand-fireworks into the air.

She watched Aster say goodbye to Sophie who had somehow appeared during the snowball fight. Jack was with Jamie, talking softly to the boy who was obviously upset they were leaving. She got in with Aster and Jack headed for them.

“Jack!” Jamie yelled and Jack stopped, turning around only for the boy to slam into him, hugging him and Jack was obviously frozen, arms up, eyes wide, but then slowly he hugged Jamie back. They spoke again and then Jack leapt onto one of the sides, hanging on with one hand as the Sleigh took off.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster lunged, catching Jack as he staggered, finding himself supporting most of his weight. “Jack?” he called in alarm and the others turned back to look.

Jack shook his head and then forced it up to stare dazedly up at him. “S’rry,” he mumbled.

“Infirmary!” North called and Aster nodded, lifting Jack into his arms, feeling him weakly clutch his fur with one hand.

He was soon setting Jack down on one of the beds gently, before he went to work pulling off Jack’s hoody and then the t-shirt beneath, searching for wounds. He had a nasty bruise in the centre of his chest, made even uglier by the fact the blood in it was frozen. He heard Tooth gasp even as Sandy joined him, gently dusting dream sand over Jack so that he’d sleep through the exam.

“What is this?” North asked and Aster looked up to see him examining Jack’s staff.

“North?”

“There is a line…a break! Fixed now.”

They all looked at each other, horrified. “That’s…that’s why he was so shocked.

“Aster?” Tooth asked.

“When Pitch saw Jack, he sounded shocked to see him, like it shouldn’t have been possible,” he answered.

Sandy was quick to ask for explanations, but Aster shook his head. “Not till Jack’s awake. We spent time separated so it’s best to hear from both sides.”

Pitch had thought he’d killed Jack…and it was his fault. Jack had been alone because of him. He wouldn’t blame the kid if he never wanted to see him again but…he’d been so careful when he’d picked his smaller form up, had whispered his actual name, smiled at him. How was he going to explain abandoning him for his entire existence as a Spirit?

Sandy tapped his hand and he watched his signs, nodding in agreement.

“The bruise is probably from when the staff broke. Looks like exhaustion is his main problem.”

“Then we let him sleep,” North told them, eyes widening as he looked back at the bed and Aster turned, seeing frost spreading over the bed, Jack’s body scarily still. “Is he…”

Sandy shook his head and signalled that it was normal for Jack when he slept. It made sense but was still not comforting to see him appearing truly dead.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Grim leant on his scythe, watching the young Spirit sleep. He tapped his chest gently, encouraging the damage to heal and his energy to return. It was only the foot in the door of death that Jack had that let him help.

Jack had surpassed all expectations and passed the test. He was a Guardian and when he woke, he would have a gift to choose.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sandy slipped into the room, watching Jack sleep, relieved the bruise was fading. He really wanted to know what had happened when he was ‘dead’. Jack looked so small, so young, when like this. He was overjoyed that Jack finally had believers, he deserved to finally be seen! It was good too, to see Aster concerned for Jack. It seemed he was finally getting over his lingering doubts and fears concerning him.

He was tempted to look at what Jack was dreaming but decided to give him his privacy, so he left, he had a lot of work to do to ensure the world had good dreams after his being gone for a few days.

_TBC…_

_Movie is done!_


	9. ch9

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 9**

Aster watched as Jack began to stir, relieved to find he was waking, the frost around him cracking. “Come on Jackie, rise and shine mate.”

“Go ‘way Aster,” Jack mumbled, and Aster chuckled.

“Come on, North wants to chuck ya a party for officially being a Guardian,” he told him, and blue eyes slowly opened, blinking at him.

“Wha?” he pushed himself up, looking around in confusion.

“You pretty much conked out on arrival, had us all worried. Other than a bruised chest, ya just needed sleep.”

Jack rubbed his chest, frost decorating his cheeks as he realised he was shirtless. “Oh, right…clothes?” he practically squeaked the last and Aster tossed him his clothes, Jack scrambling into them.

“How much do you remember?” he asked, and Jack looked at him.

“About?”

“Bein’ human.”

“Oh. I remember you,” he grinned and then sighed, fidgeting a bit. “I had a sister, Hope…our Dad was dead? Mainly flashes, voices...” he shrugged.

“I saw Hope, the Easter after…after ya died, she told me what’d happened. I’m sorry…I never saw ya, never suspected what Manny had done.”

“And when you did show up…I ran,” Jack admitted.

“I don’t blame you for that Jack, Sandy told me about the trouble you’ve had, and I heard plenty of rumours. I went to your lake to talk to ya, they obviously never recovered a body so… that was thirty years after you died, I went to tell you Hope’d had her last baby, a boy she named Jack.”

“She was happy?” Jack drew his knees up to his chest.

“Yeah, married a great guy and had a bunch of ankle biters. You looked so different that I shrugged off the similarity in clothing. Usually appearance doesn’t change that much.”

Jack shrugged slightly. “I saw her…once. Not long after I…I went back to the village, just needed to see people. She was sitting alone, crying, and so sad, and I just wanted her to smile. First time I made my special snowflakes, made her smile. I heard the people mention her dead brother and never even thought for a second that maybe it was me.”

“Without any memory why would ya?” Aster looked away, hesitating, but he deserved to know. “I saw you, many times over the years and there were big clues to who you’d been. I’m the one that gave Sandy the clothes he’d give ya.” He glanced up to find Jack staring at him with wide eyes.

“Then why didn’t you say something?” he asked and Aster grimaced.

“I’d heard the stories about ya, Sandy said you were attacked by others…no one’d dare target me, but they would target you. Spring and Winter friends? No one’d like that, and you’d have paid for it.”

“Oh,” Jack stared in surprise and growing understanding.

“Pitch was another reason. Didn’t want ‘im targeting you cause of me. It was risky enough you being around Sandy. Guess that backfired since Manny named you a Guardian.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It was good, knowing Aster had kept his distance in an effort to keep him safe, not because he hated him or something. He knew now just how different he looked from Jackson Overland, so it made sense his friend hadn’t recognised him at first, they’d been a fair distance apart and Jack had fled pretty quickly.

Hope had a good life, had named one of her kids after him! Was it possible…he had living family out there somewhere? Did he want to know? Or was it better left alone, like the hole in his memory?

“When were you sure, about who I was?” he asked, and Aster flinched slightly.

“For sure? ’68.”

Jack looked away, reaching for his staff, taking comfort in running his fingers over the familiar wood. That was one meeting he wished he could forget.

“Jack? What happened that Easter?”

Jack looked up, seeing the honest desire for the truth. “A fight,” he admitted. “Three against one. I didn’t meant to cause a blizzard! I was just so tired…”

“M’sorry,” Aster murmured, and Jack stared at him in shock.

“What?”

“I shoulda let you explain. Instead I lashed out and then you vanished…”

“Because you were right, it was my fault and people died. So I ran…ended up in Antarctica and stayed there. I was dangerous, my control wasn’t good enough. So I stayed and trained until I got better, safe enough to be around people.”

“I saw you after, dressed in rags, playing with some ankle biters.”

“Even though they couldn’t see me…I could still play with them,” Jack admitted.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sandy slipped away from the door, smiling happily. Finally! He’d been positive that if the two could just talk, Aster would see that Jack was at heart still the same boy he had been, just mentally older and a bit scarred from three hundred years of near isolation and attacks from other Spirits.

Would the Snow Queen leave Jack along now that he was a Guardian? Or would it make him all the more desirable to her? Unfortunately, his sand did not enter the other realms so he could not check what her Court was dreaming up.

He would need to speak with North, he knew some Winter Spirits not associated with the Queen, perhaps they would have information.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Baby Tooth flew into Jack’s arms as he walked into the lounge room, curling into him, and her hands moved to cup her to his chest.

“Hey Baby Tooth, sorry if I worried you,” he whispered.

She told him firmly not to do it again! She knew his heart didn’t beat but she’d never seen him sleep before and it’d been scary. She sighed as a cold finger stroked over her feathers.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“So how long have you known Baby Tooth?” She asked as she watched their interaction, it was…like siblings.

Jack looked up at her, nervous. “Um…over two hundred years?”

Tooth blinked; she hadn’t been expecting that length of time. And…and she’d accused him of trading the fairy for his teeth! Baby Tooth looked at her, curling tighter into Jack, obviously worried, so Tooth smiled at them. “And when were you going to tell me you have a big brother?” she asked teasingly, Baby Tooth relaxing, shrugging.

She glanced up at Jack to see him staring at her with wide eyes, so she flew over and put her hand over his, smiling at him. “I’m glad,” she whispered. “All my girls love running into you because you smile or wave at them. They’re going to be so jealous of Baby Tooth.”

“You’re not mad?” Jack asked hesitantly and she flitted up to kiss his cheek, feeling him start, almost jerking away but then he stopped himself.

“No, I’m glad you had a friend. Do you still have your tooth box?”

He nodded and reached for his pocket, but she shook her head.

“Once we’ve cleaned up from Pitch, I’ll help you go through it.”

“I already looked; Baby Tooth got me to.”

Tooth felt Sandy and North focus on them at that admittance, but Aster didn’t seem surprised. “Was it clear memories, a jumble, one scene?”

“Flashes, voices…and one very clear memory.”

Tooth nodded. “There is a proper way to show the memories they hold, all of them, if you want to.”

Jack pulled out the box and stared at him before glancing up at Aster.

“Your choice mate, we can’t make it for you.”

Sandy nodded in agreement.

“I’ll think about it,” Jack finally said.

“Come! Time to celebrate!” North declared, lightening the mood.

,,,,,,,,,,,

North kept an eye on Jack, he had scared them all when he collapsed, but he had been thoroughly examined by Aster and Sandy, the two who knew the most about what Pitch could do. Jack had been alone enough for Pitch to have gotten to him so knowing he hadn’t was a relief, except…he had almost killed the boy, done enough damage to have believed Jack was dead or dying. How quickly did Jack heal for all there to be left was a bruise on his chest?

He had spoken with the Yeti’s while Jack slept, they had kept the young Spirit out, throwing him into the snow when he’d try to get in. Perhaps if he had been paying more attention he would have known about the attempts. He had seen Jack’s awe when he had taken him through to his personal workroom; he did not think Jack had been trying to play pranks or cause trouble. He had been invisible to mortals, shunned by most Spirits…had he simply been trying to find friends? If he had known it was Manny that made Jack he definitely would have reached out, but no one had known, they’d all assumed Mother Nature had been the one to make Jack Frost.

They would do better now; they would show Jack that he had a place with them.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack stared at the massive pile of jumbled tooth boxes that had somehow been returned to Tooth’s Palace since he’d last seen them in Pitch’s lair. The Palace itself was back to its former glory now that the children believed again but the teeth would not magically return to their places and the fairies were needed to collect new ones. “Where do we start?” he asked, bewildered. The boxes were all the same, except for the kids picture on either end.

Sandy grinned and used his sand to begin separating out the boxes into more manageable piles. Baby Tooth appeared and began showing them how to tell the differences in the boxes that marked them as current or archived and country of origin. The fairies would need to do the rest, but they could at least get them into the right areas for later alphabetisation.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tooth held Jack’s box in her hand, motioning for him to sit on a pillow and he did, crossing his legs, staff across his lap. He watched her nervously as she made tea and put two cups down, wondering if he could drink hot liquid. It had herbs in it that would make it easier for his mind to be open to the memories. He reached out and fidgeted with the cup. “Jack?” she asked and then hesitated as she thought back to the party, had Jack eaten or drunk anything since he had been kidnapped to the Pole?   
  


“I…uh…I don’t eat or drink,” he admitted.

“Don’t or can’t?” she asked in concern.

“Both.”

“Oh Jack…” how was that even possible?

“It’s fine, really. Not like I can use a fire to cook or anything,” he grinned at her and she let it go, for now. “Will…will you see them too?”

“Not unless you want me to,” she promised. “There’s a way to make them viewable but they are your memories.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack hesitated, torn. He knew sooner or later they would push more on the food thing, on any number of issues that came with having died… Aster knew already but how was he meant to tell them? This way…he wouldn’t have to. “Could…could we all see?”

“Jack?” her eyes were wide.

“I want you all to know, I just…I’m not good at talking,” he stared at the now cold tea and she gently covered his hand with hers.

“You’re sure?”

He nodded and she squeezed his hand.

“I’ll get the others then.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster knew everyone was staring at him in shock, but he ignored them to check on Jack, seeing the dazed look on his face. A glance at Tooth showed that she wasn’t alarmed so it was probably normal. He gently took Jack’s arm and got him sitting on one of the many cushions that littered Tooth’s Palace. He kept his paw resting on the back of a cold neck, offering a grounding presence and finally Jack groaned, rubbing his temples.

He tipped his head back a bit to look up at Aster and then glanced at the others, fidgeting slightly. Sandy moved forward, reaching out to pat Jack’s arm, he’d already known Jack had died to become a Spirit but seeing it was something else entirely.

“Jack…” North looked lost for words for once, but Jack flinched slightly.

“Your sister was beautiful,” Tooth interrupted, and Jack glanced up, smiling at her.

“Yeah, she was.”

“You did a very brave, selfless thing Jack,” North clasped his shoulder and Jack shrugged slightly.

“Is your head hurting at all?” Tooth asked and Jack shook it. “Good. It might take some time for the memories to settle and you’ll other memories coming back too now that your mind knows where they are. Let me know if there’s any discomfort, alright Sweet Tooth?”

“Okay, thanks Tooth.”

Aster glanced at Sandy, a little worried, did that mean the memories locked by Manny might come free too?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack stepped into the Warren, clutching his staff, shuddering at the signs of destruction all around. The Nightmares had really done their best to trash the place beyond just destroying the googies. If he hadn’t gotten distracted…

“It’s not your fault, even if you’d been here, there were too many,” Aster said as he joined him on the hill.

“But…”

“Did you want this to happen?”

“NO!” he stared at Aster with wide eyes, how could he…but Aster grinned at him.

“Then it’s not your fault.”

“I…I shouldn’t have followed the voice,” he muttered as the others joined them.

“Voice?” North asked and Jack shifted before leaping up to perch on the top off his staff.

“Maybe it’s time we talked about what happened?” Tooth offered, putting a hand on Jack’s knee.

He really didn’t want to but how could he move on if he didn’t?

“Take your time mate,” Aster offered, and Jack nodded.

He took a deep breath and started with trying to get Sophie into bed, figuring it was best to start with something amusing.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tooth felt sick as Jack explained the voice only he’d heard, calling his name. after seeing his memories she was sure that voice would have been Hope’s. How dare Pitch do that! She should have knocked more teeth out! Pitch had sensed Jack’s fears and hit him hard with them. That Jack had resisted so well, kept fighting, was amazing. Many would have been a sobbing heap on the floor with half of what Pitch had aimed at Jack.

If only they had listened! Given him a chance to explain… she’d known something wasn’t right but hadn’t spoke soon enough.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sandy could practically feel sand steaming out of ears as Jack slowly explained what had happened and saw the guilt on the others faces. He glared at North until he explained what had happened in the tunnels and then when Jack had stumbled across them in England. Something told him, the worst was yet to come, and then Jack spoke up again.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster listened as Jack explained flying for Antarctica and almost throwing the tooth box into the sea, if he’d done that his memories would have been gone for good! He was very glad he hadn’t been able to follow through. He felt sick when Jack told them of Pitch appearing, fighting him…and then the offer to trade his staff for Baby Tooth. No wonder Jack had been showing lingering signs of pain when they met up in Burgess! Getting tossed into a ravine by Nightmare sand and his staff dropped in after him had been lucky, it could have been even worse.

Despite everything Pitch had done, that they had done or not done, Jack had still come back. He’d tried to free the fairies and when that failed he had rushed off to protect Jamie, to help him believe not just them, but in Aster specifically.

He had a lot to make up for, that was certain.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack cleaned in silence; he didn’t want to talk anymore. It’d been very uncomfortable admitting how badly he’d screwed up and he hadn’t really been sure what to make of their expressions during the whole thing. He hadn’t been kicked out yet so that had to count for something, right?

He collected the shattered shells and scrubbed at stained stones, falling into the rhythm of work like he had when human and helping his Mother around the house. He jumped slightly as a heave paw came to rest on his shoulder, looking up at Aster.

“That’s enough Snowflake, come on,” he tugged, and Jack let himself be pulled to his feet, surprised when a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders, guiding him along. “The others have left for the day.”

“Oh…sorry, I should go.”

“Jack, where do ya live? Sandy says you don’t sleep much at all but where’s ya home?” he asked, and Jack shifted slightly.

“Um…..the lake? I should go…”

“Come on, ya can kip with me,” Aster led him into a section of the Warren he hadn’t seen before, revealing a low hill…with windows and a door. They went inside and Jack was surprised to find an airy room that was well furnished with things designed for beings built differently to humans but also human visitors. “Right, through there’s the kitchen, that door’s the library,” Aster pointed them out, leading him into a hall. “My room’s the one on the end, dunny’s the second on the left and you can have this room.”

“Dunny?” Jack asked in confusion.

“Bathroom.”

“Oh,” Jack nodded as Aster opened the door to a bedroom set up for a human. “Thanks.”

Aster nodded and headed for his own room. Jack looked around, leaning his staff against the wall. He hesitated but then stripped off his clothing before crawling into bed, wondering if it’d be one of the rare nights where he could sleep, though he doubted it after the long rest after the battle a few weeks back. Still, it was nice to just lie still somewhere comfortable.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster almost began making breakfast for two automatically, before remembering Jack didn’t eat. As sad as it was, the lack of a need to eat had probably made things easier for Jack; with no real home, helpers, or way to get food other than stealing he would likely have gone hungry more often than not.

He was just finishing eating when Jack emerged, white hair damp. “Did ya sleep?”

Jack shook his head. “It was nice to just relax though.”

“Well, the room’s yours for good,” he said and saw Jack’s jaw drop.

“Wh…what?”

“Pretty sure North and Tooth are having a room for you made up in their places too. I get the weather in here might not be the best for ya, but you’re welcome here.” He wasn’t sure what temperatures Jack could withstand for longer times, but he looked okay, then again he looked like he’d used the bath this morning so he could have cooled off in there.

“It’s different, but a nice different,” Jack quickly told him. “Tooth’s place…”

“Too warm?”

Jack nodded. “It’s…still here, but not bad. All the green’s nice too, beats everything being white or brown.”

When was the last time the kid had seen summer? He definitely wasn’t weak enough to sleep through summer, but he knew Jack kept to the cooler regions anyway…keeping out of the way of the Spring and Summer Spirits.

“Hold your staff out, I’ll add it to the wards. All you’ll have to do is tap it on the ground twice and it’ll open a tunnel.”

He hadn’t realised Jack’s eyes could get that wide. Jack hesitated but then handed the staff over, shocking Aster with the show of trust. Jack obviously tried to not snatch it back when Aster handed it back, cradling it close. “Thanks.” He slowly forced himself to set the staff aside, fidgeting with the sleeves of his hoody. “What needs doing today?”

“You don’t have anything you need to do?”

Jack shook his head. “Most of the southern hemisphere is covered.”

“Alright, I’ve gotta start some new planting if you wanna help.”

Jack nodded and Aster washed up his dishes before leading him to the field of flowers that grew his googies. He carefully showed Jack how to prepare the soil and then put in a new plant, making sure each new plant was securely in place. He watched Jack do the first two, pleased to see him taking his time and no sign of any frost or temperature fluctuations.

_TBC…_


	10. ch10

_Disclaimer: not mine_

_Pairing is now marked._

_On ffnet ch8 didn’t post and ch9 posted as ch8. I fixed it late last night Sydney time._

**Chapter 10**

Beira leant back in her Throne, surprised by the latest information of young Jack. She’d had Jack watched from a distance since his escape, taking her time with preparations. She could not re-give the first two kisses, they only worked once, so he would need to be restrained at first. This time, there would be no escape, even if he was taken there would be no ‘freeing’ him.

The idea of Jack Frost as a Guardian… apparently it was true that he had been created by the Man in the Moon. Why had he created a Winter Spirit? It explained why he was so powerful at least. Reports said he had faced off against Pitch Black, alone. Now that he had gained some believers, his powers would be growing further. He had to be brought to heel and soon before he could think to challenge her.

She should have taken him after that blizzard, after that blasted Easter Bunny had turned on him, but he had vanished before she could. It would be trickier if the other Guardians kept watch on their newest member, but sooner or later they would lose interest in him and then he would be hers.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster smirked as he watched Jack being chased around by a herd of googies. Preparations for Easter were well under way and Jack had been a good help. It had been a surprise just how good he was with gardening; he hadn’t expected that at all. Jack had been wary at first, slipping into the Warren now and then but keeping his distance, using his room to either rest or actually sleep.

It was good to see him relaxing more not just around him but North and Tooth as well. They had both set aside a room for Jack in their places, though Tooth understood her Palace was too warm for him to be comfortable enough to spend the night, it was the thought that counted. The room at North’s came in handy after Guardian get togethers which they had begun having regularly again. They had fallen out of the habit over the centuries, all letting their work take their lives over totally. It was amazing how Jack’s inclusion was changing things for the better.

Jack was still a childish, fun loving, prankster but as the fight with Pitch had shown, he was very capable of being serious when needed. The more Jack relaxed around them, the more of his personality he let them see. Yes, he could be hyperactive, but he could also spend hours curled up in a chair reading. It was even easier now, to see the child he had been in Jack, obviously due to his memories having been restored. There were still gaps but that wasn’t surprising after so long. Thankfully, there was no sign of the locked memories coming back, though Jack had admitted he was aware of what he called a hole in his mind.

Winter had ended early this year, so Jack had thrown himself into helping him prep for Easter. North had pulled out all the stops for Christmas and Aster was doing the same. Defeating Pitch had brought back believers, but they still weren’t back up to the numbers they’d had before so they were going all out to bring them back. North had even given gifts to some children who had made the Naughty List after realising why Jack had been on it for years, he had begun looking at motivation and not just actions.

He had double the normal number of googies so there’d be more generic decorations than he liked but there were too many for even him to paint by hand. He was considering seeing if Jack could paint, he had a delicate hand with frost patterns and if that could translate to paint then it would be helpful but for now he was on roundup duties, making sure the googies went where they needed to. At least he hadn’t ended up in the Colour River like that crazy elf had last year.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack curled in the armchair he always used, a mug of tea on the table beside him and a book in his lap. He had a lamp on low for light to read by, but the rest of the burrow was dark, Aster having gone to bed hours ago. Easter was in a week and everything was getting crazy busy. Everything had to be perfect this year to make up for last.

He’d had a good talk with Sandy about how what’d happened hadn’t been his fault in anyway and Tooth had backed that up. She’d explained that no one in his condition could ignore their tooth box once activated, even in the middle of battle he would have been drawn to it. He was so used to being blamed for things that is was hard to not blame himself, even when the others didn’t.

“Good book?”

He jolted and looked up to see Aster in the doorway. “Sorry, is the light too bright?”

Aster shook his head and settled in his own chair. “Always have trouble sleeping this close to Easter. Too much Hope building up in the kids. Remember that high you were on Christmas Day?”

Jack nodded, yeah, that had been crazy. All the Joy from the kids who got their presents had him bouncing off the walls at the Pole to everyone else’s amusement. He’d never felt anything like it before and it’d been disorientating and even a little scary to be so overwhelmed and out of control, but they all promised it would never be like that again, it was just because it was his first big hit since becoming the Guardian of Joy and Fun.

If anyone had told him two years ago that he’d be sitting in Bunny’s home, talking with him, actually staying there he would have thought them insane. Staying with Aster though…it was the closest he’d felt to having a home since waking in the ice. He’d thought at first it was just an offer because he felt he had to give it, so he’d only snuck in when he really needed a break but then he’d started slipping in a bit more often and he was never kicked out, never made to feel like he was imposing. Now he spent most nights he wasn’t working in the burrow, reading, resting, or sleeping. He’d even made Aster a few meals, dragging recipes his Mother had made from the depths of his memories.

It felt nice, having somewhere stable to come back to, especially between the seasons.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“Jack!” Jamie called, seeing the figure flit through the trees. He ran after him to find him near the small lake and Jack grinned at him. He didn’t hesitate to throw himself at the teen, laughing as he was caught, hugging him.

Jack reminded him of one of the kids at school, who shied away from contact with wide eyes. His Mom said there were family problems that meant he hadn’t gotten many hugs or anything. He was Jack’s first believer and he was a new Guardian, so he probably hadn’t had many hugs at all before.

“Hey kiddo, having fun?” Jack asked as Jamie let go, but he stayed at Jack’s side.

“Yeah! There are loads of eggs this year!” he grinned, and Jack laughed.

“Well, I helped Bunny make about double the normal amount so there should be.”

“To make up for last year?” he asked seriously, and Jack nodded.

“There’s still a lot of shaky belief because of that.”

That made sense. Christmas from Santa had been better than normal too. “Want to help us find eggs?”

Jack smirked. “I helped hide them so I’m pretty sure that’d be cheating.”

Jamie dodged as Jack ruffled his hair, laughing and running to the park where the others were waiting, Jack following, teasing them as they tried to find all the eggs, but they all enjoyed it. Jamie even saw him retrieving one of the eggs for Sophie that she couldn’t reach.

“Bunny?” She asked.

“He’ll come see you later.”

The other Guardians were cool, but Jack was more their friend than anything else. He came by as much as he could just to check in on them. They’d had the best white Christmas in years with lots of the kind of snow that was great for snowballs and snowmen. The frost had been kept to windows and roofs, leaving the roads as safe as possible and they all knew it was Jack making sure the kids were safe.

They had a plan too, to help get Jack more believers. They told the story of the battle against Pitch, making sure to talk about Jack a lot, Cupcake had even written it and submitted it to a creative writing competition. She’d gotten second place which meant the piece was published in a kids magazine. They had lots of plans for the internet too. 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

North settled himself in his chair, frowning slightly. It was strange enough for Aster to call for a meeting, but Aster and Sandy? And where was Jack? “What is going on?” he asked as a confused and worried Tooth settled.

“There’s something you need to know about Jack,” Aster answered.

“Shouldn’t Jack be here then? We can’t talk behind his back!” Tooth argued and Sandy signalled for her to calm down.

“We have ta, because Jackie doesn’t remember. Manny blocked the memories from him for his own good.”

That…that did not sound good. “What happened?”

“How much do you know about the Snow Queen?” Aster asked and Tooth gasped, hand pressed to her mouth.

“No…not Jack.”

“She had ‘im for about a decade. He was…he wasn’t Jack when I found him. It was like he had no emotions, warned me off despite that. It was Baby Tooth that got through to him, first time they met though he doesn’t remember. We were getting through ta him, but she must have known and had ‘im collected. I found Sandy, was explaining, when Manny contacted us. We found Jack and Baby Tooth at his lake…never seen the kid like that and hope I never do again.”

Sandy formed an image of the scene and North watched as the sand version of Jack convulsed on the ice, Baby Tooth hovering over him.

“What...what happened?”

“Way Baby Tooth tells it, she tried to kill her, and Jack took the blow. He was fighting her magic, barely got them outta there before he collapsed.”

The image changed to show Sandy putting Jack to sleep and then Manny putting him back in the lake.

“How long was he under there?” North asked.

“Two months. We took turns keepin’ a look out.”

The image showed Jack being pulled from the ice and the way Sandy had approached him

“So he remembers nothing?”

“No, he’s aware he’s missin’ memories, sad they give him a bad feeling. When she had him, she somehow removed his memories of Sandy so for Jack, he was meeting him for the first time when he woke.”

They sat and discussed everything the two knew about Jack’s time under the Snow Queen’s control, Tooth having to leave the room at one point with how upset she was.

North had never had anything to do with her, despite how close the entrance to her realm was to his home. That closeness now worried hi, would Jack be in danger every time he came to the Pole? It had been over two centuries, if she wanted him back…no, Winter was patient, she would be ensuring she could keep control this time before retrieving him. If she planned on retrieving him. Word of the new Guardian would have spread far by now; would she risk attempting to take him? She did not like to be thwarted, she may risk it simply to prove none could escape her, to take revenge on Jack for making her appear weak. There were one or two Winter spirits who had managed to keep free of her Court, he would need to speak with them and check his books.

Jack had been warned of the areas and Spirits to avoid, for now hopefully that would be enough.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster looked down at the sudden weight against him and blinked, Jack had fallen asleep? They’d settled on the couch earlier to chat but had fallen silent a while ago. Jack was slumped against him, head at a funny angle, and body so still…he slept so rarely and usually where no one would see, so it was still a jarring sight to see. He lifted a paw to gently support his head and neck before moving around, pulling the limp body into his arms before standing, carrying Jack through to his room.

Jack’s room was cooler than the rest, it hadn’t taken much to ensure that for his comfort when he stayed. The bed only had sheets now, now blankets so getting Jack settled was easy enough, though getting him out of his hoody had been interesting with his limbs uncooperative. He left the rest on, not wanting to make Jack uncomfortable by stripping him.

He looked tiny in the bed and as carrying him had proved, he was far too light, but it wasn’t like they could fatten him up when he couldn’t eat. Aster gently ran his paw through white hair and Jack shifted slightly, pressing into his touch before going still again. “Sweet dreams Snowflake,” he murmured before leaving.

Really, it shouldn’t be all that surprising he’d fallen asleep. It was the middle of summer and boiling hot in the Northern Hemisphere where Jack had been visiting the kids. The heat had obviously taken a toll on him, wearing him out where it could have killed a weaker Winter Spirit.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack blinked slowly and looked around, was he…dreaming? Where was he?

_“My realm,”_ a female voice answered his unasked question and he turned quickly to see a tall, cloaked, regal woman with black hair down to her ankles. She was beautiful but…distant.

“Who are you? Why am I here?” he asked nervously.

**_“You were correct Jack Frost, this is a dream,”_** a familiar voice answered, and Jack smiled.

“Grim,” he greeted, and a cloaked face nodded in greeting. “So what’s going on?”

_“You are to be given a gift, Jack Frost,”_ she answered.

“A gift…?” he looked between them, confused.

_“You have passed to far into death to be fully restored to life, even as a Spirit. However, a partial restoration is possible if you should agree.”_

“Partial restoration?” he asked and then got the feeling Grim was smiling at him beneath his hood.

**_“The ability to eat, to experience truer sensations, pleasure, and the like.”_ **

That definitely got his attention. To truly feel a hug, the softest touch, but… “Wouldn’t that mean feeling pain properly too? After so long without, I’m betting that would not be good the first fight I ended up in.”

_“This is a gift, not a punishment,” she answered. “You would control, through your heart beating or not if it was active. In battle, simply stop your heart and you will be as you are now.”_

“There’s always a downside,” Jack hesitated.

**_“We do not know exactly how much you will regain; this has never been done before. You are unique, even among Spirits. In the end, it is your choice.”_ **

****

Grim had never lied to him, never tried to harm him, other than doing his job that day at the lake and that hadn’t been to harm him anyway. Jack knew he’d been there for Hope, that Jack had changed her fate by taking her place, but he didn’t regret it for an instant.

“What do I need to do?”

_“Nothing but hold still,”_ she answered, moving towards him.

Jack felt cold hands grip his shoulders, Grim holding him in place as she came closer. Then she leant down and Kissed him, something about the action almost familiar despite the fact he’d never been kissed before. He gasped, body rigid, as molten heat poured into him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster jerked awake, something was wrong…he leapt up, rushing for the room where Jack had been sleeping for the last three days. He opened the door to find him still on the bed but his back arched, mouth open in a silent scream. “Jack!” he called but something blocked him from reaching the bed. He tried to push passed but couldn’t and then it was over, Jack limp on the bed, and Aster rushed to his side. “Jack?” he called urgently. He could hear…Aster blinked and then reached for Jack’s wrist, waiting. There! It was impossible and yet…Jack had a pulse.

Jack groaned, head shifting restlessly before slowly blue eyes blinked open, gradually focusing on him. “As..ter?”

“Easy Jackie,” he soothed, sitting on the edge of the bed to check him over. His skin was a little warmer and when he touched him, Jack gasped. “Are you in pain?”

“No… I felt…that,” he whispered in awe.

Aster knew Jack’s ability to feel was limited, it was what had allowed him to keep fighting Pitch, dead nerve endings. He could feel but it took a lot for anything to register. “What happened?”

“Dream,” he mumbled. “Tired.” He blinked, struggling to stay awake.

“It wasn’t a Nightmare?” he asked just to be sure and Jack shook his head before succumbing to sleep, chest rising and falling slowly. Aster carefully shifted him over and then got on the bed fully beside him, he wasn’t leaving till he knew what had happened and that Jack was definitely okay.

He didn’t mean to fall asleep, but he did, and he woke to the sensation of cool fingers in his fur, laying still as he tried to groggily work out what was going on.

“So soft,” a familiar voice whispered in almost childish wonder and he remembered. It was Jack…Jack who’s new heartbeat was a comforting sound close by.

To sound so fascinated by the feel of his fur…just how much sensation had the kid really had for the last three hundred years? A hand stroked his ear and it twitched in response, Aster unable to help opening his eyes to find Jack leaning over him, blue eyes going wide as he realised Aster was awake.

“Sorry,” Jack went to jerk back so he grabbed his wrist as gently as he would a googie and Jack froze.

“Did I hurt ya?” he asked in alarm. “Jack?” he pushed, and the younger Spirit shook his head slowly. “Okay. How’re you feelin’?”

“Okay? It’s a bit…weird.” He rubbed his chest with his free hand and Aster nodded. It was odd enough hearing his heart beating, feeling the slightly warmer skin, hearing his breath…it had to be even stranger to be experiencing it all for the first time in so long.

“Do you know how this happened?” He let go of Jack’s wrist and sat up.

“Um…I had a dream. There was a lady I’d never seen before and Grim.”

“Grim…the Grim Reaper!” Aster demanded in alarm and Jack shrugged.

“Yeah, he’s…I guess he’s a friend? He’s always nice when we run into each other working anyway.”

Aster just stared; Jack was work buddies with the Grim Reaper?

“Well…he did have a hand in making me. Manny had to bargain with him otherwise he would have claimed my soul before I could come back as a Spirit,” Jack rushed to explain. “And…and Winter and Death…well…” he looked away and Aster winced.

“People die in winter,” he finished for Jack who hunched in on himself further. “Death’s a part of life, Jack.”

What had made Manny chose Jack, to want him so much as a Spirit he would bargain with Death himself for Jack? Three hundred years ago it would have been relatively easy to find someone not quite dead to choose rather than bringing Jack back. Surely there was more to it than just Jack saving his sister at the cost of his own life?

“What was the lady like?” he asked, curious. Listening to Jack’s description, he had a pretty good idea who it was.

Mother Nature was finally getting involved in Jack’s life because the description fit and only she’d have that sort of power. Death could have fully claim Jack, but he couldn’t restore life. Having so many powerful beings attention wasn’t necessarily a good thing for Jack. Maybe Mother Nature was as tired of the Snow Queen as every other Spirit and was setting Jack up as her replacement? It would explain why he was so powerful even before he gained believers. But then why not intervene when Jack was taken, unless Baby Tooth ending up in that town had been due to her nudging something?

“Do you know who she was?” Jack asked nervously and Aster nodded.

“Mother Nature.”

“Oh…Mother Nature kissed me!” he yelped, and Aster couldn’t help it, he snickered.

“Do you know exactly what this gift is?” he asked as the kids cheeks frosted but…yep, there was the slightest pink tinge to the purple/blue colour he normally blushed.

“Um…they said they couldn’t make me fully alive but that a ‘partial restoration’ was possible, that it was a gift. And I can control it, if my heart’s beating then I’m sort of alive, if I stop it then I go back to normal. They weren’t entirely sure how much I’d get back either, I guess the nerve endings aren’t so dead like this which is gonna take a lot of getting used to,” he babbled and then they both looked down. “And…I think I’m hungry?”

Aster chuckled and got up, gently tapping his shoulder with his paw rather than slapping it like he would have. “Let’s get you fed then. Safest to start with bland, light food, like someone coming off starvation, see how your stomach handles it.” Vegetable broth perhaps, lots of vitamins, but without the heaviness of meat. Not that he stocked meat anyway.

He soon had a small bowl for Jack and a larger one for himself, not wanting to make him self-conscious by eating something else. The look of awe on Jack’s face when he tasted it made the bland meal worth it.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tooth smiled as she watched Jack carefully sip at a mug of tea. They were all so happy for him and his new status, he had missed out on so much over the centuries due to his condition. She’d have to watch his sugar intake once he started eating it. Maybe they’d finally manage to get him to a healthier looking weight. He was practically skin and bones, she assumed due to a lack of resources for at least the months before he died.

It was nice that he no longer shied from hugs and the like or startled when they were given. His body was warmer so he wasn’t as worried about hurting them and now he could properly feel them he enjoyed them.

They’d all been working to help him adapt and also learn to switch in an instant in case of a sneak attack. He could literally stop or start his heart in a beat now. It was better if he kept his heart still when working too since he was in such cold conditions.

North had admitted he was working on soft shoes for Jack for Christmas, to help him adjust to wearing them but he needed something to protect his feet when he was more alive. Hopefully he wouldn’t go too overboard. She sighed; well they could dream.

_TBC…_


	11. ch11

_Disclaimer: not mine_

_New crossover with HP is up, enjoy._

**Chapter 11**

Jack lay sprawled out on the soft grass of the Warren, basking in the feel of everything. Sometimes it was still overwhelming, to be so aware of the world around him after three centuries of such dulled senses but he didn’t regret it and he was getting better at adjusting. The other Guardians had done everything they could to help too, getting him used to touch slowly until he could happily accept hugs from even North without it hurting or panicking.

Two years post-Pitch and he really felt like he fit with them. They wouldn’t abandon him, they really wanted him around. Same with the Burgess kids. That lot were crazy but what they were doing worked, his belief base had exploded since they had gotten to work with stories and pictures spread through school and online.

His life was beyond anything he’d ever dared to dream….well, with one teeny tiny hitch, Aster. He’d sat through enough university classes over the years to know that his falling for one of the Guardians wasn’t at all surprising, but did it have to be Aster? Then again, he practically lived in the Warren, so he was the one he was around the most. It was crazy, Aster had been his friend since he was four, then a distant guardian once he was a Spirit, until ’68 had ruined everything. Now they were the best of friends again, he was even trusted to help with Easter! So falling for the alien (and that had been a massive shock) was crazy. He could never tell him and hopefully, he’d move on and get over it with time.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

She smiled as she looked at the Western wall of her Throne Room. Finally, all preparations were complete, and the Guardians were becoming less vigilant. Jack Frost was travelling alone for greater periods as well, meaning it would take time for him to be missed. By the time they did, it would be too late, and she would have Jack Frost back in his place at her side and in her bed. She had missed that since he had run.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster watched Jack play with the googies, puzzled. Jack had changed and grown a lot since their battle with Pitch between regaining his human memories and gaining the ability to become more alive when he wished. Having Jackie in his Warren, in his burrow, all of the time had come to feel right, Jack belonged there.

He’d proven to be surprisingly good at housework but he had grown up helping his Mother around the house until he had taken over from his Father so it shouldn’t have been so surprising. Aster knew he tended to let such things slide in favour of looking after the gardens and googies so having Jack take over worked well. He’d been worried he was taking advantage, but Jack had promised he enjoyed it, liked the link back to his human life. He did try to keep it neater when Jack was off spreading winter, not wanting him to return to a pigsty. It was nice to share a meal now that Jack could eat, to spend evenings reading or chatting.

And…yeah, Jack had been doing all the right things to wake up instincts he had thought long dead and gone. He was the last of his kind because of Pitch. He’d thought he’d abandoned all idea of ever having a mate of his own. The fact that they were both Spirits meant the difference in species meant less, and he wouldn’t be the first Pooka to find a mate in another species anyway. The age difference was once again covered by being Spirits, Jack was physically seventeen and all up was over three hundred and seventeen years old now. he also hadn’t aged at all in that time, whether he would now that he spent time with a heartbeat had yet to be seen but if he did, it would likely be even slower than North, maybe even Tooth.

So the big question was, was it more than old instincts waking up, and would Jack ever want him as more than a friend? He had to tread carefully and really consider everything since he didn’t want to lose his friendship.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“Where ya headed?”

Jack turned and grinned at Aster. “Washington state’s due a blizzard.” He practically bounced in place and Aster laughed, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

“Have fun.”

“Of course I will. Later!” he shot up out of the tunnels he now knew like the back of his hand.

He emerged near Seattle and took to the air, feeling out the growing storm patter, nudging it here and there to keep it from turning deadly. It was too early in the season for a bad blizzard, people weren’t ready yet. He frowned as he felt it resisting, trying to grow stronger. He took off, flying away from the city until he found himself hovering over a forest, the centre of the growing storm. He held an arm up to protect his eyes from the freezing ice and snow, his body immediately shutting down to protect itself as he searched for the source.

There was something…or someone here…he hadn’t had any trouble with storms or anything since regaining his memories and the defeat of Pitch. So who could be doing this? Was he far enough north for the Winter Court? That was worrying, he’d been warned about them, but surely even their Queen would think twice about messing with a Guardian? Not like she’d shown interest in him before.

Something…there! He spun, ice flying from his staff and the Wendigo snarled at him. Oh he hated those things. They were an absolute pain to deal with too, not to mention hideous inside and out. He spun his staff, ready for a fight, the wind suddenly crying in alarm and he went to turn only for everything to go black.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Beira smirked as they returned, prize in hand. Jack had not physically changed at all in the centuries since she had last seen him. That horrible clothing would need to go, and she summoned a Yuki-onna who swiftly returned with appropriate clothing, stripping the unconscious spirit off where he lay on the floor of the Throne Room for all to see, dressing him in the clothing he had worn so long ago when training. His staff was quickly taken and locked away behind the strongest locks she had, this time he would not call it to hand.

It wasn’t long before Jack began to stir, sitting up and then standing, body seemingly relaxed but ready to move in an instant. She saw him realised where he was and smiled at him.

“Welcome home my love,” she greeted, and he frowned slightly.

“This isn’t my home. I’m a Guardian lady, you’ve made a big mistake kidnapping me.”

Interesting…he showed no sign of recognition at all. “Do you not remember the years you spent among us? Learning and leading, General of Winter, under my tutelage.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack stared at the woman seated on a Throne of ice, speaking to him like she knew him or something. Years…the hole in his memory. What the hell had happened to him for him to have ever spent time here? He’d read North’s books on the Winter Court, heard the stories from the other Guardians. He was in serious trouble because if he’d escaped her once then she wouldn’t let him go again. His staff was gone, so they likely didn’t know he didn’t need it for his powers anymore, he’d been careful to make it seem like he did.

Being called love by the Snow Queen made him feel sick. Had she…had they gone that far? If so, he was very glad he’d forgotten. No matter what she may have done to make him appear willing, it wouldn’t have been, and that was not how he wanted to remember what should be a loving act.

“I’m not your General, I’m the Guardian of Joy and Fun. My place is out there, protecting the children.” That was as polite as he felt capable of feeling, especially since he’d just realised someone had changed his clothes while he was unconscious which was very, very creepy.

“With Spirits who ignored you your whole existence?” she smirked.

“They didn’t know besides…haven’t you been ignoring me too?” and he had a feeling he knew why. She’d sat back and watched as he was isolated, attacked, waiting for her time to come as a protector or something. She’d waited too long though; he knew where he belonged. “I want nothing to do with you.”

“IT would be so much easier for you if you would come to us willingly,” she told him, and the warning was clear, but he also knew better than to agree to stay. Magic could be tricky about those kinds of things.

“Never,” he stated firmly instead.

She stood from the Throne and approached, and Jack held his ground, knowing he couldn’t appear weak or scared. She reached out to touch his face and he grabbed her wrist to stop her, but she was much stronger than she appeared. Her fingers caressed his skin and he was very glad his body was in its dead state. He didn’t want to imagine what she might do if she discovered he could become more alive. He went to step back, but her other hand latched onto his hair, holding him in place and then she kissed him, and he struggled to turn away. He lifted his free hand, placing it against her chest and then lashed out, sending shards of ice her way.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

In a way, his struggles were fun, since she knew he would eventually welcome her touch. The ice attack had been a surprise, but no damage had truly been done. He glared defiantly at her and she used the hand in his hair to turn his head to see the prepared wall. “I hope you like it, I built it just for you. I suspected you may have fallen under the Guardian’s influence and forgotten where you truly belong. We will help you remember who you were made to be though,” she explained. She began walking and he was forced to stumble after her unless he wanted to be injured. She saw the flicker of fear in his eyes and smiled. Fear, despair, and panic; such emotions could only speed his breaking.

She pressed his struggling body to the wall, chains of ice coming alive to wrap around his wrists and ankles.

“Get off me!” he writhed, blue eyes wide and she smirked, lifting her hand to blow across the palm, sending the dust into the wonderful target he had given her. He cried out in pain, shaking his head before a band of ice snaked across his forehead, pinning him. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear the tiny dust particles but it was too late.

“Did you know there was once another Snow Queen?” She asked and he eyed her warily, obviously in some discomfort from the shards. “She had a very special mirror, one that would distort what the viewer saw, showing only evil. It shattered but became even more useful, for the shards would get into people's hearts and eyes, freezing their hearts like blocks of ice and making their eyes like the mirror itself, seeing only the bad and ugly in people and things,” she explained, seeing the dawning comprehension and horror. “I much prefer the three Winter Kisses, unfortunately once given, they cannot be used again. I free my Court from the pain, and they are eternally loyal,” she waved at the various Spirits and Jack shuddered.

,,,,,,

“No...they don’t feel anything,” he whispered, seeing the dullness in their eyes. Had…had he been like that too? “That’s not freedom.”

“You once thought it was,” she crooned, caressing his face and he felt sick.

He’d read the story of the mirror in North’s books, had been glad it was a myth except…it wasn’t? His eyes hurt, they felt cold, he never felt cold. He blinked rapidly, trying to dislodge them.

“As a Spirit, it takes more than the shards entering your eyes to freeze your heart. This will hurt my love, the sooner you surrender, the quicker the pain will end,” she explained, and he struggled wildly as he saw the shard of ice in her hand.

It had to be over a foot long at least six inches wide. Freezing his heart…she wasn’t going to… he felt more ice spread over his body, ensuring he was totally immobilised. No!

“Within this ice are shards that will freeze your heart. Once pierced the ice will be absorbed slowly into you, bringing the shards with it. All you have to do is accept them, to surrender, and the process will be instantaneous. The more you resist the more it will hurt.”

He saw her move, unable to look down with his head held in place. He screamed as he felt the ice impale him, plunging into his un-beating heart. He kept screaming as agony unlike anything he had ever felt before consumed him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

She stepped away from Jack’s screaming body, the ice shard extending out from his chest, a little old blood flecking his lips. It would be interesting to see how long it took for him to give in. A cage of clear ice surrounded him, ensuring no one could interfere.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He hung limp in the restraints, panting harshly in pain despite not needing to breath. He kept his eyes clamped shut, knowing opening them would be bad. He could feel it, ever so slowly, ice spreading through his body, numbing him. How long had it been? Minutes, weeks, centuries?

The Guardians would come for him, they would…why would they? They didn’t want him…no! He couldn’t listen, the whispers were trying to twist things, to freeze his heart, to make him the Queen’s creature. He had to hold on….he had to….

He screamed as the ice sank in another half inch, freeing another shard.

“As…ter…”closed eyes glowed with power for a second, undetected by anyone thanks to the cage of ice.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

In a secure and warded room, a shepherds crook glowed softly and then thumped the ground twice, falling away into the hole that appeared beneath it.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster smiled as he felt the shift that meant Jack had opened a tunnel, but there was no following gust of winter wind carrying the scent of snow and mint…no movement from the tunnel. Concerned he made for the tunnel, moving in until he found something that terrified him, Jack’s abandoned staff. Despite not needing it, he very rarely let it out of his sight since it was tied to him. He picked it up, breathing in deeply, and then he was off, running for the tunnel to the North Pole.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Beira stared through the ice at her prize. Since the first day he hadn’t screamed, proving how strong he was. The ice did block some sound, muffling the gasps and moans that broke through his control. Blue eyes were closed, an effort to keep the shards in his eyes from working but once his heart was frozen he wouldn’t care. He shuddered in the restraints as the shard sank in deeper, fingers flexing uselessly for something to hold onto. He looked…ill, what colour he had draining away. He would be her perfect general and not even the Man in the Moon would be able to thaw his heart, no one would.

The shards could be ‘melted’ but she’d had Jacked watched very carefully. There was no one who loved him like that or that he loved in return.

She smirked, running her fingers over the ice. “Soon, my love.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

North watched as Aster paced, obviously fighting the urge to take off on his own. It seemed their worst fears had come to pass, the Snow Queen had come for Jack. They had tracked him to a storm near Seattle, one that had been far too strong and had raged for almost a week. There was no sign of him ever leaving the area and they’d had to deal with a Wendigo.

They all wanted to storm her Palace, to save Jack before she could do anything too terrible to him, but she had her own Realm and gaining access was not so easy. Jack had been gone almost two weeks now, who knew what she had done to him in that time. From their descriptions of how Jack was last time, she had already used the Kiss on him, which meant it would not work again. She had not waited so long though to not have a plan.

Jack had read up on her after they had warned him of her existence, so they had dug out those same books, looking for clues.

Tooth gasped and leapt into the air as the lamps flickered, shadows growing, and North scowled, reaching for a sword. They did not have time to deal with Pitch! But it was not their ancient enemy who appeared before them.

“The Grim Reaper,” Aster stated, staring at the hooded Spirit who nodded.

**_“She has taken something that does not belong to her,”_** he stated.

“Can you help him?” Aster asked, confusing them. “Jack knows him. Manny…Manny bargained with him to turn Jack into a Spirit,” he quickly explained.

That was…unexpected.

**_“All things die, even in her realm. Prepare yourselves.”_** He faded away and North looked at the others before nodding.

“Weapons,” he announced, heading for the armoury.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tooth dressed in the offered winter cloak, the slits allowing her wings to slip through so that she could still fly. The Pole was as cold as she could stand. and the inside was always warm. There would be no warmth where they were going. She strapped on blades, wanting more to fight with considering the kind of enemies they would be coming up against.

Even Aster had accepted a coat and extra weapons. He may have a natural fur coat but because the Warren remained in Spring, he did not grow a winter coat. Even if he did, it likely wouldn’t be warm enough.

North had traded the white trimmed coat he had been wearing for his black furred one, the one he always wore when there was trouble. White for peace, black for war. She wasn’t sure how many weapons he was carrying. They were all given snow globes as well, to summon the Yeti who were gearing up and as their way out. Whoever got to Jack was to grab him and get out, the rest would follow.

She was terrified by what they might find. She had heard enough stories of this Snow Queen and her predecessor to know Jack would need a lot of healing and help when they brought him home. If he took the heat better, they’d be taking him to her Palace, as far from the Snow Queen’s reach as possible. Granted, he could handle it far better than any other Winter Spirit they knew of, but it would not help him to heal if his body was fighting to cool itself.

Instead the plan was to take him to the Warren. He had a room there that was kept cold, his staff had already been sent back there to keep it safe, and hopefully the familiarity would help him feel safe…or help him remember. The Snow Queen’s loved messing with memories and Tooth feared there were more ways than just the Kiss.

“How does Jack know the Grim Reaper?” she asked as they worked, and Aster looked over at her.

“They work together at times, especially during war.”

That…made sense. Though, thinking of Jack in war was hard but modern armies fought all year round, no longer limited by the soldiers having to work their fields. How many horrors had he witnessed that he never should have had to see?

When the Reaper returned, they were ready.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He kept his eyes clenched shut, shivering as the ice spread through him. He could feel it, growing all the time, freezing him. Voices whispered to him and he tried to block them out, but it was so hard. With every spike of pain it became harder to remember why he had to fight. He could feel them, twisting his memories, trying to make him hate the world. She wanted him to be like her, cold and cruel, and it was happening.

He could hear muffled noises from outside of his prison at times, various Spirits coming to taunt him, to tell him to surrender. She came too, always speaking so gently, calling him love. It wasn’t love what she felt for him, and it wouldn’t be love that he felt for her when it was over. He would be nothing more than her slave and he would not give in to that! He wouldn’t!

The ice that bound him wouldn’t respond to him; he had no way to save himself. But who would come for Jack Frost? No one cared….no….please….hurry. He choked back a scream as another shard forced its way into his heart.

“JACK!” the voice was faint but familiar, sounding horrified and…scared? Who was it? He wanted to look but he knew he couldn’t, he couldn’t open his eyes.

_TBC…_


	12. ch12

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 12**

Thanks to the Grim Reaper, they arrived right on the Snow Queen’s doorstep, undetected. The problem was they knew nothing of the layout of her Palace and there were two likely candidates for where Jack was being held; a cell or locked room of some kind, or the Throne Room, on display as a warning. Aster wasn’t sure which would be worse.

They got inside easily enough but then they had to move as quickly and quietly as possible, while they had the element of surprise, as soon as they were detected it’d become a fight and in her realm… the path to the Throne Room was obvious and they crept forwards, Sandy in the lead since he was totally silent, North watching their backs. Tooth was actually walking since her wings made noise. The Palace was silent and cold…colder than anything they’d felt before, even in the warm gear the Yeti had provided.

It was risky, checking there first, they were way more likely to be detected, but they could spend days searching the Palace and everything they knew of her said she’d have Jack where she could see him. The kid was alive, he was a fellow Guardian, they’d know if he died (became more dead really), but what condition would he be in? Aster doubted he’d be fit to fight.

Sandy peered in a massive doorway and then sand steam was pouring form his ears in rage…looked like Snowflake was being kept in there then. When Sandy glanced back, there was a look of horror and rage on his face that made him not want to see, but he’d have to. Sandy flashed up symbols quickly and Aster grimaced, not the best odds but not the worst he’d ever faced. He quickly freed several of his explosive eggs as Sandy sketched the layout. The Throne was on the northern wall, and Jack was on the western side. Various Spirits and Sprites were arranged throughout the room and he worked out where several were grouped together, better to hit them all at once.

North moved to the door and Aster nodded, so North shoved the doors open with his considerable bulk and Aster hurled the explosives, hearing them impact and go off, also helping to provide some colourful cover. They rushed in, Sandy with whips of dream sand flying, Tooth spiralling around at full speed. North threw several snow globes, the Yeti emerging with their own war cries. Aster hurled his boomerangs even as he made his way towards where Sandy had seen Jack. the temperature began to drop further as the two forces clashed but Aster focused on getting to Jack, he’d grab him, and they’d retreat.

He skidded to a stop, ears back and eyes wide. A wall of ice was in front of him, no…not a wall but a cage. The image within was blurred a little but still very recognisable. Jack had been chained and frozen to the wall, held totally immobilised but that wasn’t what had him feeling sick. No…that was the ice shard emerging from his unmoving chest. “JACK!” he screamed, beginning to hack away at the ice but it had obviously been designed to keep everyone out. To his relief, Jack twitched slightly in response to his shout, but there was something very wrong with him, beyond being impaled. “Jack! Come on, wake up!” he called, and he heard a soft whimper form Jack, horrified to see the ice shard move, sinking deeper into Jack’s chest. He wasn’t breathing so he was in his dead state which was good, no blood loss and limited ability to feel pain but…it had pierced his heart. Could even Jack survive that?

Aster ducked just in time, finding a frost giant lunging for him. He leapt up and over it, throwing his boomerangs and then an exploding egg, driving it back before two of the Yeti joined him. He saw their eyes widen as they glimpsed Jack within his icy prison and then they roared and…yeah, he was never pissing the Yeti off.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

A voice…a voice calling him…he struggled to focus on it, to block the pain and whispers that taunted him endlessly. He knew it…As…ter…Aster! He’d come, he’d come for him…no…it was a trick…he didn’t care…no one cared…they’d left him to die…

His Queen…Snow Queen…years of serving her…pleasing her….her hands on his body…a storm…

“Jack! Let him go!” a different voice sounded.

Lies…all lies…it hurt…he wanted…he wanted the pain…to stop. Please…he was so cold…there was a lump of ice in his chest…it didn’t hurt…more ice…stop the pain…

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster kicked out with powerful hind legs, sending the Sprite flying across the room. This wasn’t working! They’d each taken a turn at trying to breach the ice, but nothing was working. Even the great strength of the Yeti had failed, and Aster just knew they were running out of time.

They had their backs to Jack’s prison, so no one saw the ice shard suddenly melt into his chest, the restraints gradually melting off of his body, but they all heard the thud of Jack hitting the floor.

The fighting stopped, the enemy backing away and the Snow Queen stood from her Throne, smirking at them. That was not a good sign. She lifted her hand and they looked back at the cage again, watching it melt away as well.

“Jack!” he called, bounding to his side, reaching out to touch him only to recoil from the burning cold of his body…even colder than when facing Pitch. “Jack? Come on mate,” he urged. He snarled and struggled as he was grabbed, their inattention due to Jack being released costing them.

“Come my General, it is time to take your place,” the Queen called as the rescue party was forced into a corner.

Aster watched Jack’s unmoving body, what had that ice done to him? Was he…no she seemed too gleeful; he wasn’t dead. Anything else they could fix, right?

And then Jack twitched, slowly getting his hands under himself, pushing up to hands and knees, head hanging down.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

There was no pain, there was nothing. He was nothing but ice. A voice called to him and he moved, pushing to hands and knees slowly. He got to his knees and then stood, head still lowered, eyes shut. Why were they shut? He lifted his head and opened his eyes.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tooth gasped as Jack got to his feet and lifted his head. Normally bright ice blue eyes were now clear, colourless. His face was expressionless and his skin…looked strange….almost like ice. “Jack?” she called, and he turned his head to look at where they were being held back before averting his eyes, the slightest trace of a grimace flitting across his face.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Beira watched as Jack got to his feet, seeing the changes in his appearance, body reflecting his now frozen nature rather interestingly. As she had assumed, with his heart frozen he saw no need to keep his eyes closed, revealing irises as clear as ice. He turned to look at the Guardians when the Tooth Fairy called his name but then turned away from them, very good.

She held her hand out to him and he walked towards her, kneeling and she rested her hand in his hair. “Welcome home my love,” she murmured, tipping his head back to see his expression. The others had their emotions numbed; they could still feel to an extent, but Jack was now as cold as the ice they both wielded, unable to feel anything. He leant obediently into her touch and she caressed his ice cold skin.

“Jack no!”

“Do you have anything to say to the so-called Guardians my General?” she asked, motioning for him to stand and he did so, looking at the group of Guardians and Yeti.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack stared at them and felt nothing, seeing their forms shift and distort, evil, and some part of him knew it was the mirror shards in his eyes making them like that, but he didn’t care.

“Jackie please,” the Bunny shifted to the front and Jack stared into green eyes….spring gr…poisonous green, hateful.

“No, My Queen.”

“Jack you must fight it!” the big one called….North…his name was North. “Your centre, remembered your centre!”

His centre? He was ice at the core, cold and unending, un-aging. He meant before, before his Queen had re-claimed him. The hole in his memory was gone, he remembered his time at Court, a simple time, he had still felt back then, still held weakness, this time he was stronger. Emotion was weakness, the Guardians were weak, and he had been week. Fun…Winter was not fun, it was cold, hard, deadly, and strong. They thought themselves so good, but he saw the truth now, how ugly they were inside.

“What do you think Jack, should they join us?” His Queen asked, revealing a pouch of sand, no, mirror shards.

  
“Whatever pleases you, My Queen.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Something had gone wrong, they could all feel it, and so they swarmed first the Warren and then the Workshop. Egg Sentinels and googies waited as the elves armed themselves with an array of toys and objects, the fairies all grabbing up needles, swords to them.

An elf in multicoloured clothing got the others moving until they could get the cabinet open. Sitting inside were rows of Snow globes. She flew up to one and plastered herself to it, focusing on Mother and Brother. She would not lose Jack again! As an image formed within, she rammed the globe, knocking it to the ground to open the portal. Without hesitation the very strange army rushed forward.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Beira laughed at their horror and despair before pulling Jack into her arms, a hand carding through his hair, holding his head in place as she kissed him. His hands settled on her waist as he responded to her kiss, giving her full control of it as he should. There was no warmth, no emotion in his response but that didn’t bother her at all. She did enjoy the sounds of outrage from the Guardians though, especially when she let her hands drift lower to grope him through his leggings. She truly had missed his company in bed, he didn’t tire as a mortal or even ‘living’ Spirit would and was immune to her own cold.

She pulled back and looked at them. “A frozen heart can feel nothing for anyone, but please keep trying to appeal to emotions he is no longer capable of feeling,” she smirked.

The sound of a portal opening had them paring, Jack moving to defend her, but they all stared as an army of tiny red clad beings wielding…toys emerged.

“Elves?” Jack stared and then one of the Yuki-onna yelped, going down after being hit by something. Angry squeaking and chirping filled the air as a swarm of thousands of fairies flew out at top speed, followed by massive stone eggs and tiny white ones.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tooth stared in shock as her girls flew out of the portal, all armed with something shiny and sharp. She honestly didn’t know if she was proud or terrified. And what on earth were googies doing with them? The eggs rushed wildly into the room and she giggled as the wave managed to trip up several Spirits. The Sentinel eggs headed straight for them and their guards.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack watched the tiny invading force, tiny in size, not numbers. It made no logical sense. What did they think they could do? The elves were worthless, they were trying to fight with toys after all. The googies were just as bad and the fairies…his eyes found one specific fairy in the chaos and he blinked as nothing happened. Why did she remain the same to his vision? She turned and saw him, and he could see the hope and joy but why would she feel that at seeing him? She flew towards him and he lifted his hand to freeze her.

“JACK NO!” Tooth screamed, seeing what he was about to do, but he ignored her.

A body slammed into him, knocking him down and he felt fur against his skin, heard a gasp of pain as his coldness soaked through even that covering. He shifted, moving to throw his attacker off but they were quicker, pinning him down.

“Come on Snowflake, whatever she’s done to you, you have to fight it.” It was Bunny holding him down….As…Aster… he was weak to cold temperatures, tied to Spring, so he began dropping the temperature around them. In response he moved, flipping Jack onto his back and staring right into his eyes. “Wake up Jack, you gotta snap out of it.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster forced himself to ignore the ever increasing cold, pinning Jack to the floor and staring into dead eyes, so much worse than the last time he’d been under her control. His skin was too smooth and cold, an odd sheen to it in the light, like ice. What had she done to him? Jack stared back before averting his gaze but why? He racked his brain for everything they’d read while trying to find a way to rescue Jack. Something about vision… “Mirror shards,” he breathed, horrified. “She used the shards on you, didn’t she?” he asked. There was a cure, he knew there was, but what was it?

“I see the truth now,” Jack finally spoke to him.

“No, you see what she wants you to,” he denied, shivering even with the coat on. The fight was in full swing around them and he knew a wall of fairies and Yeti’s was keeping everyone away from them. He touched Jack’s cheek gently. “You have to remember the good times mate, the kids in Burgess, Jamie seeing you, helping us protect the kids from Pitch…Baby Tooth and Sandy being ya friends for centuries, Christmas at North’s, days just relaxin’ in the Warren.”

As if he’d heard his name mentioned, a trickle of golden dream sand floated by, gently curling around Jack’s wrists before moving to restrain an approaching Wendigo.

Seeing Jack like this hurt, worse than the first time. He knew Jack so much better now and the thought of losing him…last time he had fought free himself, helped by dream sand and then having his memories blocked. Could even Manny fix a frozen heart? He leant in closer, forcing eye contact, wondering what the shards made Jack see. “I lost my entire people, my planet, I am not losing you too!” He wasn’t really made for kissing like a human, but he gave it his best shot. Jack being taken had forced him to face his own feelings, it was more than instincts that had him wanting Jack in his nest. He put everything he felt into the kiss, ignoring the burning cold against his lips as he did.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“I lost my entire people, my planet, I am not losing you too!” Bunny…Aster…snapped at him and then warm lips were pressed to his own frozen ones.

It was awkward and nothing like his Queen’s kiss, no…it…it was warm…like sitting in the sun on a spring day…lying in the grass with googies running all over his body, painting them with Aster. Without his thinking about it, his lips parted slightly, moving against Aster’s, his body no longer radiating the sheer cold he’d been making it in an effort to dislodge him before, all the fight fading from him as he relaxed beneath Aster.

He gasped in an unneeded breath; his chest was on fire! Burning…melting…he shuddered, moaning, freeing a hand from a slightly looser hold, clutching at Aster’s shoulder.

“As…Aster…” he whimpered, eyes closed, he didn’t want to see him twisted by the shards.

“Jack?” Aster whispered, stroking his face and Jack turned his head into the warm touch, hope audible in his voice.

“He..hel..p me,” he begged. He felt strong arms gather him up, holding him close and he forced himself to remain limp, to not struggle.

“NO!!” he heard a scream a rage and he knew it was His Queen…not his Queen…

He could feel the ice in his heart melting, his heart trying to beat, but it wasn’t gone yet. “Kno…ck…me..ou..t,” he forced the words out.

“What?” he could hear the alarm in Aster’s voice.

“I…I can…t…” he shuddered, pressing his face to warm fur.

“Kill him Jack!” his Queen commanded, and he felt a dagger of ice form in his hand.

“Sto…p…me…” he struggled to keep from moving but he was losing the fight, his hand rising to make the blow.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“It’s okay Snowflake, I’ve got you,” Aster whispered. He saw the ice dagger, saw Jack’s hand shaking as he fought. “Sandy!” he yelled, and a stream of sand wound its way over. He quickly gathered a handful and sprinkled it over Jack’s face. “Just go to sleep Jack, I’ll keep you safe.” Jack’s eyes flickered open briefly before he went lax in sleep, the dagger melting away. Aster stood and looked around, catching North’s eye.

“Go!” he yelled, and Aster thumped the ground, opening a tunnel as Baby Tooth flew over, a bloody needle in her hands. She flew into the tunnel and then Aster dropped into it, carry Jack back to the safety of the Warren.

He bypassed Jack’s room, carrying him to his own and gently laying him down in his nest, hoping the heat would help undo what had been done to him. Baby Tooth flew up and hugged his cheek. “She froze his heart and put mirror shards in his eyes,” he whispered, and she squealed in anger and distress.

She flew to Jack staring down at his face as he slept dreamlessly since the dead did not dream. They were lucky the sand had worked at all. She gently kissed one closed eye and then the other, crying for her big brother and Aster reached out, scooping her up to hold.

“He’s fightin’,” he whispered and then watched as tears slipped from Jack’s closed eyes, actual tears, not frozen. He glanced down at Baby Tooth in awe a she finally remembered the rest of the passage on the mirror shards. It had been his kiss that had begun melting Jack’s heart, romantic love, but it was the love of Baby Tooth, of his little sister, that was causing Jack to cry…which should mean the shards in his eyes were gone.

Jack shifted, eyes slowly opening, tears drying on his cheeks as he blinked, slowly focusing on them. “Don’t cry,” he mumbled, and she squealed, leaping from Aster’s hand to pepper little kisses over Jack’s face. His eyes were still the odd clear colour but…he could see emotion in their depths now.

“Jack?” he asked, and Jack clumsily lifted a hand, reaching out and Aster took it.

“Tried…to fight,” he whispered. “S’rry.”

“It’s not your fault,” he promised.

“Can feel it…so cold…” he lifted his other arm, reaching for him, and Aster pulled him into his arms, rocking him, sharing his warmth. Baby Tooth flew over to sit on the low table beside the nest, watching worriedly. He put his paw to Jack’s chest, reaching for his own magic, trying to help finish melting Jack’s heart. “K..kiss…me…’gai…n….pple…ase…” Jack’s teeth were actually chattering, his words slurred, but understandable enough.

Aster shifted his hold on Jack and then kissed him, his lips weren’t burning cold anymore, not quite the body temperature Jack usually had but getting there. He kissed him again and again, nuzzling him in between, feeling Jack’s body slowly warm up in his arms and then he heard it, Jack’s heart taking a stuttering first beat before another and another, settling into a steady rhythm, Jack gasping in air. Aster pulled back to look at him, he still looked different, his eyes colourless and clear, skin almost like glacier ice but there was the tiniest tinge of pink now as his blood began to flow again. Jack sighed, relaxing in his arms, eyes drifting shut as the dream sand pulled him back under, working fully now that his body was partially alive again.

He didn’t want to leave him…but the others…he looked at Baby Tooth who nodded and took up a guarding position. Aster went to the door to his burrow and watched as the remaining sentinels moved into position to protect it. He was about to open a tunnel when he looked up and saw the Northern lights flashing an all clear. The others had finished things without him and escaped her realm as well. He wrote a note and put it in a googies hand before opening a tunnel and sending it off to the Pole to let them know Jack was recovering but sleeping now. Once that was done he returned to his room and removed the coat and weapons, leaving them close just in case, before curling up in the nest, holding Jack to his chest as he dozed.

_TBC…_

_I was really torn over this. I wanted them to see him with the shard in his chest, but I also wanted him to be with her for a little while after his heart was froze, unfortunately I couldn’t get both to work so had to pick one._

_So my one shot has lots of hits but only 1 review and that’s form a very regular reader I chat with about stories. Some people have followed it, even though it’s complete, which I usually take to mean they like it, but no reviews makes me think they don’t. which is it?_


	13. ch13

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 13**

He was warm…so warm…his eyes snapped open as he began struggling to breath, memories crashing back in and then his ear was pressed to a fur covered chest, able to hear a steadily beating heart even over the panicked sounds of his own breathing. It was gone…the ice was gone, he slammed his eyes shut, scared to look at anyone.

“Come on Snowflake, calm down and breath with me,” a voice finally reached him, and he wanted to do the opposite, to not obey, but he knew the voice, trusted it, it was warm…

Slowly his breathing came under control and he slumped in the arms of whoever was holding him, keeping his eyes shut.

“Jack? Can you hear me?”

He gave a jerky nod, a hand lifting to tangle in fur, feeling a hand resting on the back of his head, not petting…not controlling, just supporting him.

“It’s alright, you’re safe. Do you know where you are?”

He shook his head, pressing closer to the warm body, shaking slightly and then he was being lifted, shifted about until he was in their lap fully, being held closer.

“You’re in the Warren, it’s just you, me, and Baby Tooth. Wards won’t let anyone else through till you’re ready, promise.”

Warren…the Warren…Spring… “A…As…ter?”

“Yeah, I’m here mate.”

He tried to press closer, clinging and shaking and Aster held on tight. Ever so slowly, the shaking stopped, and his body relaxed. He was tired, so tired.   
  


“Then get some more sleep,” Aster murmured, had he said that out loud? He felt himself being gently moved again, until he was laying down, Aster’s larger form wrapped around him. “Want some dream sand?” he asked, and Jack nodded shakily, feeling it trickle onto his face and then everything faded away.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster watched as Jack relaxed into a deep sleep, dream images flickering briefly above his head, thankful that Baby Tooth was out flying about and had missed the whole episode. It was a good thing Sandy had ensured he always had a small emergency supply on hand, for when the memories were too much and he couldn’t sleep. He had hoped the first dose would let Jack sleep the night through and then wake gradually. The panic attack wasn’t surprising considering what he’d been through. He hadn’t seemed fully aware after the shards had begun melting so no wonder he’d been disorientated and confused as to where he was. He was pretty sure Jack hadn’t recognised him at first, despite the fur.

How much did he remember of the weeks she’d had him and just what else had she done to him? Or had Jack managed to hang on all that time, fighting the shards? As much as he doubted Jack would like it, he’d have to talk to someone about it at some point, ignoring that kind of trauma wasn’t good for a human or human turned Spirit. Did he remember the kiss or asking for more?

The googie he’d sent to North to let them know Jack was recovering had returned, with the book that mentioned the mirror shards and he picked it up, keeping one arm around Jack while he opened it and found the right section. Love could melt the shards…but not one-sided love. But did it have to be the same kind? He didn’t want to bring it up or ask, not now when Jack was obviously going to be dealing with the trauma for a while.

,,,,,,,,,,,

It had been a relief to receive the note saying that Jack had begun regaining his emotions. He hadn’t seen what had happened between the two when Aster stopped Jack from freezing Baby Tooth, but he’d heard the Snow Queen’s yelling. He had checked the book before sending it on though, the only way to melt the shards was with love, specifically a kiss. He had known the two had become close, he had not expected that close. It was good, they both deserved happiness.

He didn’t like the fact the Snow Queen had been left alive in her Palace. Once Jack had been removed she had gone crazy and they had been forced to retreat. She would have to be dealt with; she was far too unstable now. It had been many centuries since he had spoken with Mother Nature, but she should be informed. She had helped give Jack back some form of life, he doubted she would agree with what the Queen had done to him. He had never heard of her fixating on someone like she had Jack, had she seen him as a possible threat to her power even back then? A rival for her position? Jack had not been the only Winter Spirit unaffiliated with her Court, but they were all far older and tended to stick to one area, such as Father Frost and Marzanna.

Yes, something would have to be done to ensure no one else was harmed. She should have been stopped long ago.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster felt Jack beginning to stir and set the book aside, nuzzling him gently. “Mornin’ Jackie,” he whispered. So far he was waking calmer. “You’re in the Warren, you’re safe.” He kept talking softly as Jack moved closer to truly waking up and then he felt him stiffen slightly before cold fingers sank into the fur of the arm he had around Jack’s waist. “I’ve got you, you’re safe.”

“Aster?” Jack asked, tension obvious in his voice, but it was the most alert he’d sounded since leaving her realm.

“Right here,” he promised, feeling Jack’s grip slowly loosen and then his fingers began moving up his arm, Jack turning around, his hand moving up to Aster’s shoulder and then neck to touch his face…like he’d seen a blind child do. He used his other hand to tip Jack’s head up, finding he had his eyes shut tight. “Open ya eyes,” he told him, and Jack shook his head. “The shards are gone Jack, from yer heart and eyes. Baby Tooth handled your eyes, don’t you remember?”

“Promise?” Jack whispered and Aster nuzzled him again.

“Promise.”

Jack slowly opened his eyes, blinking in the low light, not looking at him but he wouldn’t rush him. He didn’t want to think about what those things had made him see when he looked at them. Jack’s gaze flickered to him and then away and he took a deep breath before looking again, and then he relaxed, and Aster smiled.

“See?”

Jack nodded, looking up to meet his eyes with still colourless ones. It looked strange, almost like he was blind, but his eyes were obviously focused on him. His skin tone was still off as well, were the changes permanent? He’d thought the shards and freezing of his heart had caused it but maybe it had caused his powers to grow or change and his body with them?

“Anything weird?” he asked just to be sure and Jack shook his head.

“Just a talkin’ kangaroo,” he tried to tease, and Aster snorted.

“Bunny,” he shot back as normal and Jack attempted a grin, but it didn’t really work. “How do you feel?”

“I…” Jack looked away and then pulled back and Aster let go, watching as Jack shakily sat up, wrapping his arms around his knees, pulling them to his chest.

Aster sat up, pressing his side against Jack’s, making sure he knew he was there. “Are you in any pain?” he decided to narrow the question and thankfully Jack shook his head. “That’s a good start then.”

“Why…why didn’t you kill me?” Jack whispered and Aster’s ears went back.

“What?”

“The first time…you didn’t know me, had no reason to think I could be freed…”

The first time… “You remember,” he whispered, and Jack nodded.

“I didn’t know what she could do…I went with her and…she kissed me. When I woke up I…” he was starting to shake again. “Don’t know how long it was but…I told her Sandy was my friend and she kissed me again and then I didn’t know him…I knew him before?”

“Yeah, you met him when you were about fifteen as a Spirit. When he couldn’t find ya, he came to me for help.”

“I remember her making me forget him, forget the Wind, anything that could tie me to someone outside of her…but I can’t remember the stuff she made me forget. Baby Tooth…she…”

“Gave you a right telling off for that storm,” Aster smirked, and Jack nodded.

“She told Her off too…she was going to kill her and I just…I couldn’t let her,” his lips twitched slightly but he didn’t manage a smile. “Why…why were the memories blocked, how?”

“The Man in the Moon. Sandy put you out and he blocked the memories. You spent about two months back under the ice, healing. We kept an eye on ya lake, Sandy was just the one there when you came out.”

“But why?”

“There was a chance that her magic would linger in you with the memories. She controlled you Jack, by numbing your emotions and removing the memories she didn’t like you having, changing you. You shouldn’t have to live with those memories.”

“She….she made…” he choked, and Aster carefully held him.

“You couldn’t say no and she knew it, what she did to ya was evil,” he finished for him and Jack rested his head over his heart.

“How long?” Jack asked softly. “This time….how long?”

“About two weeks,” he offered, and Jack looked up at him in shock.

“Only…” he shuddered. “It felt…”

“Longer, that’s normal when in captivity,” he promised. “I saw you, when we broke in, with that shard of ice in ya chest. When did she do that?”

“The first day,” he admitted, and Aster winced, he’d spent two weeks frozen to a wall with basically a blade of ice in his chest! “The…shards were in it, scattered through it. it would sink deeper in every time it released one and it hurt so much, I… I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I gave up, gave in, let it freeze me,” Jack sobbed.

“Jack, you fought for weeks! No one can hold out forever.”

“But you were there! I just…they wouldn’t shut up! Whispering in my mind and I didn’t know what was real and I just wanted to stop hurting.”

Aster pulled away from Jack so he could force eyes contact. “Listen to me Jack Frost,” he demanded, and Jack blinked in shock at his tone. “Nothing that happened is your fault. No one knew those things were anything more than a story. You held on longer than anyone could be expected to, and you were still fighting even after they worked. I saw the way you kept looking away from us, away from what the ones in your eyes made you see. And I know you could have done a lot of damage, if not killed me, when I had you pinned, but you didn’t.”

“They twist everything to show only the bad, evil,” Jack whispered. “But…Baby Tooth, she didn’t change.”

“Sibling love,” Aster told him, right on time as she flew in, squealing with joy as she saw Jack awake.

He hesitantly held his hand out and she landed on it, hugging his thumb tight. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Jack whispered to her and she smiled at him in return.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack sat in the grass, running his fingers over warm, soft, plant life. He’d forced himself to get up and go outside, to soak up the warmth and light. The shards had melted and yet he still felt cold…all in his head after two weeks frozen to a wall. Baby Tooth was napping nearby, and Aster was gardening. Part of him wanted to be alone to work through everything in his head but the rest of him didn’t want to let them out of his sight.

He lay back and closed his eyes, hesitant, but he needed to start somewhere, so he began with everything he could remember of the rescue; hearing voices calling for him beyond his cage…feeling his heart freeze…seeing them captured, the Snow Queen calling him to her side…she had threated to use the shards on them too and he’d…he’d gone along with it. without emotion, he’d been a monster. He could remember what they’d looked like thanks to the ones in his eyes, how something in him had still not wanted to see them like that. The sight of an army of elves, googies, and fairies was going to be a treasured one for the rest of his existence. Hilarious, heart-warming, and surprisingly useful. He had the feeling he knew who’d gotten them all organised as well.

Knowing how close he’d come to killing Baby Tooth made him feel sick, she was the one being who had never feared him or been scared or anything, Jamie and the kids didn’t count, they didn’t know about Winter Spirits. If Aster hadn’t stopped him…she was so small, there would have been no chance of her surviving the freeze like some could so long as carefully thawed.

Aster…who hadn’t given up on him, who had pinned him down despite the freezing cold he’d been emitting. Who’d…Jack blinked up at the sun, cheeks colouring slightly. Aster had kissed him!

_‘I lost my entire people, my planet, I am not losing you too!’_

Had he meant that how it sounded? His kiss had melted Jack’s frozen heart, or at least started the process. He remembered begging to be knocked out, able to still feel the compulsion to obey her, the feel of Dream Sand on his face… he looked over, watching Aster work. Did he…love him? The fact Aster was an alien, it didn’t bother him, but it might makes things…interesting. They were both spirits, so the age gap wasn’t an issue, after your first century no one seemed to care. Jack knew the others aged, well North and Tooth did, other Spirits did too, though not all. While he wasn’t sure which category he fell into now that he had a pulse when he wanted, he’d still live a very, very long time.

Did he want something like that? He could remember her hands on his body, her magic inside of him, making it work for what she had taken from him. He sat back up, wrapping his arms around his knees, shivering as he remembered what it had felt like, how she used him over and over…he shook his head, pressing the heel of his hand to his eyes.

“Jack?” Aster called and Jack started, falling back, eyes wide as he gasped, and Aster held his hands up. “Easy mate, you’re safe,” he spoke softly, and Jack nodded.

“Sorry,” he muttered, and Aster shifted closer.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for ya galah,” his tone was light and teasing, their arms brushing, and Jack leant into his warmth. “I’d be shocked if you were fine Jack, you’ve been through two very traumatic experiences with the same captor, one you’ve only just remembered. It’s gunna take time for you to recover.”

Jack looked up at him, seeing the concern and understanding. “You kissed me,” he whispered.

“Yeah, I did.”

“Did you know that would melt the ice?”

“No, but it was all I could think of ta try. If I’d remembered the passage on the mirror better I would’ve known it’d work.”

Jack shifted to kneel facing him. “Why? You said sisterly love saved my vision but…it needed more for my heart, didn’t it?” he pushed.

“Jack…”

“Do…do you…” he bit his lip, want if he was wrong? He watched Aster shift, a hind leg lifting to scratch his ear…nervously? He hesitated but then leant in and kissed him before pulling back, picking his staff up to fidget with.

“Snowflake,” Aster murmured, his own hand slowly resting over Jack’s, stilling his fretting. Jack risked a glance up at him, seeing no anger or anything negative. “It’s not a good idea, not right now.”

“Why?” he asked. Maybe…maybe he thought Jack was disgusting because he’d been with the Snow Queen?

“Same reason I told ya not to say sorry. You need to heal Jack, starting something now could cause more harm than good.”

Oh, he hadn’t thought of that. “Not disgusted?”

“What? I kissed you first.”

“But she…”

“What she did was assault and not your fault,” Aster stated firmly. “It does not make you disgusting.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. Come here,” he lifted an arm and Jack curled into his side, relishing the warmth.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It took everything he had not to sweep the boy shuffling into the room, half hidden behind Aster’s larger form. The changes to Jack’s appearance were shocking, but it wasn’t like their looks hadn’t changed occasionally over the centuries as the stories about them shifted. Seeing Jack so timid hurt, would the boy recover from what had been done to him? Obviously he had regained his emotions and was likely blaming himself for everything. “Jack,” he called, and Jack’s head snapped in his direction, eyes wide. He smiled at him and held out his arms in offering, the choice Jack’s.

Jack hesitated, shifting from foot to foot, still dressed in the all-white he’d been put in at her Palace, but the Yeti were already working on new clothing for him. He shifted forward and glanced at Aster who smirked and gently nudged his shoulder. Jack looked back at him and then crossed the room, stopping just out of reach, studying his expression before shifting forwards those last few inches.

North wrapped his arms around him, holding him tight but hopefully not too tight. He smiled as slender arms slowly came up to return the hug. “Welcome back Jack,” he whispered, feeling Jack’s hands tighten in his shirt. He stayed until Jack began to pull back and then Tooth was there for a hug before Sandy got his turn. He then guided Jack to the couch and gave him a mug of barely warm chocolate, Aster settling beside Jack with a hotter mug full. They were all together as it should be, they would look after Jack and help him recover.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack carefully opened the package Phil had given him, eyes widening as he removed a pair of dark brown pants a loose white shirt, smiling as he pulled out the blue hooded jumper, the same style as his old one but with a bigger front pocket and brand new. He stripped out of the clothing She had put him in and dressed in his gifts, feeling more like himself again in the new clothing.

He went to the window and looked out at the moon. “Thanks, for helping save me back then…I’m glad you blocked those memories, even if they’re back now. I messed up, but the other Guardians saved me. I just wish I didn’t make a mess of everything,” he whispered, leaning against the glass and then he felt warm, moonlight surrounding him, offering silent comfort.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tooth watched Jack as he sat on a cushion, Baby Tooth on his shoulder. The bond between them was obvious. She’d led an army to save them all because of him! None of the others would have done that. Time with Jack had allowed her to grow more than her sisters and maybe…maybe it was time to let her go.

“So, does being the first Frost Fairy mean Baby Tooth needs a new name?” she asked, loving the twin shocked expressions sent her way. Then Baby Tooth was flying around her head, chirping her happiness and thanks, darting in to hug her cheek before rushing back to Jack.

“Tooth…”

She reached out and clasped his hands. “She belongs with you Jack, she’s happy, and that’s all I want for my girls.”

“I…a Frost Fairy?” he asked, bewildered and Tooth laughed.

“Well I think she likes the title.”

“You mean it?” he asked, and she nodded.

“All you have to do is accept her.”

“Of course,” he said with no hesitation. He’d been back for almost three months now and had finally stopped shadowing Aster so closely, spending time in their homes too. He was healing but still had a ways to go. They were all watching very closely and if that…witch dared show her face, Tooth had a sword with her name on it!

“Her appearance might change a little, colouring most likely,” she warned so he wouldn’t panic, and Jack nodded. She poured more tea, it was good to delegate and spend time with the friends, she refused to let her work consumer her totally the way it had for too long, and not just because Jack needed them all.

_TBC…_


	14. ch14

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 14**

Jack stood on his lake, trying not to fidget as he waited for Jamie to come. He’d hit his window with a snowball to let him know he was waiting for him, but only Jamie. He couldn’t deal with all of them, not yet. He was scared, how would his first believer react to his changed appearance? Would Jamie be scared of him? He knew Aster and Baby Tooth were nearby, but they’d stay away unless he called them.

“Jack?” Jamie called out as he approached, and Jack took a deep breath.

“Here!” he called back, watching as Jamie ran into view, grinning at him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jamie grinned, he hadn’t seen Jack in a while, so when he heard him call out he ran to the lake, stopping though as he saw his friend. Jack had a tight hold on his staff, his head down and hood up, and Jamie frowned. Was he hurt? “Jack?” he took a step onto the ice. “Are you okay?”

“You know I’d never hurt you, don’t you?” Jack asked quietly and Jamie frowned in confusion.

“Of course you wouldn’t. You’re my friend.” Something was wrong, but what? He was almost eleven now, he could handle whatever it was. He walked closer on the ice, careful not to slip, knowing it would take his weight because Jack wouldn’t let him fall. “Jack? What’s wrong?”

He watched Jack lift a hand to his hood but then hesitate. “Don’t be scared,” his friend whispered, and Jamie wondered what had happened to him, had Pitch come back and hurt him? Was that why none of them had seen him in months? Slowly Jack lowered the hood, lifting his head, and Jamie’s eyes went wide in shock.

“Jack…can you see?” he asked in alarm, had Jack been blinded by something? Why else would his eyes be like that.

It wasn’t just his eyes though…Jack’s skin looked different too, but he wasn’t scared. He took the last step and wrapped his arms around Jack, feeling him stiffen like he had that first time before they’d left in North’s Sleigh. He felt cold, colder than normal, but not cold enough to hurt. He felt Jack slowly relax, arms moving to return the hug. He held on as they moved and when he looked he found Jack was now kneeling on the ice. Jamie had grown since they first met but Jack was still a lot taller so kneeling would be more comfortable for him, and it let Jamie get a better look at him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Baby Tooth ducked around a tree; Jack had told them not to come unless called but she couldn’t stay away. She hid in the foliage and looked down at the lake, smiling happily when she saw Jack kneeling, Jamie hugging him tight and Jack hugging back, though he looked shocked and unsure.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“Jamie,” he whispered, awed by the immediate acceptance and Jamie smiled at him.

“Why would I be scared of you?” the kid asked. “You can see, right?”

“I can see,” he assured him, managing a small grin. “You need a haircut.”

“Hey!” Jamie pouted. “You’re alright, aren’t you?” he asked, obviously worried and Jack was touched by the concern.

How much should he tell him? Obviously he’d worked out something had happened to him but what if by telling him of Her, he drew Her attention to the kids? “You know we aren’t the only Spirits?”

“Yeah, Bunny told us how there are more and that their used to be more before science started explaining everything. Did another Spirit hurt you? Not Pitch?”

Jack let go and ushered Jamie off the ice, clearing off a log to sit on, carefully reaching for the air, drawing as much of the cold as he could out of it and away from Jamie who grinned at him. He slowly and carefully began explaining the basics of what had happened to him…hesitating before also telling him about the decade of missing memories. He didn’t go into a lot of detail, Jamie was way too young to hear about a lot of what had happened during that decade, just enough to that the kid would know to be careful.

“She erased your memories!” Wow, he’d never heard Jamie that mad! “Then froze...” he trailed off, too mad to speak, and Jack found himself with Jamie latched on tight again, feeling tears slipping down his neck where Jamie had hidden his face.

“Hey, I’m…” he wasn’t back to normal, he might never be back to who he was before she’d frozen his heart but, “I’m getting better. I’m not frozen anymore, promise.” And he wasn’t telling him how his heart had been melted, unsure how any of them would take the fact that Aster had kissed him multiple times.

“What if she…gets you again?” Jamie asked shakily.

“So far they’ve all been one time methods and I know She’s out there this time, I know the places to avoid and the other Guardians are watching out for me too,” he couldn’t really promise that she wouldn’t ever get him. “If you ever see me and I don’t seem to recognise you, or I have no expression or something you run okay? You get in door where you can keep warm and then you contact one of the Guardians for help.” He felt Jamie nod and prayed it never came to that. Surely after being freed twice she would cut her losses and either leave him be or simply go with killing him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jamie was scared for Jack, this other Winter Spirit had taken him twice and really messed him up, probably in more ways than Jack was saying. His Mom was a Nurse and his Dad had been a cop, died on the job just after Sophie was born, so he knew stuff other kids his age mostly didn’t from overhearing them talking. And they’d started getting the talks at school on being safe and saying no to drugs and other stuff. So yeah, he thought he might have an idea what else had happened to Jack, but he wouldn’t ask.

“Maybe we could lock her and Pitch in a room together,” he offered and that got an actual chuckle out of Jack. Jamie sat back, wiping his face dry, grinning at Jack.

Jack was different, not just because of his eyes and skin, but that was okay. He was still Jack and he’d get better with time, even if he never went back to how he used to be. Like Mom had changed after Dad was killed and he knew he’d changed then too a bit. Bad things changed you, it was just something to get used to.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster entered the clearing, relaxing when he saw Jack and Jamie sitting together on an old log, talking, Jamie gesturing wildly with his hands and Jack…yep, Jack was smiling. It was a relief to see it had gone so well, though he had hoped it would. Jamie seemed able to take most things in his stride thankfully. “Hey kids!” he called and they both turned to him, Jamie grinning happily but even he could see the worry in his eyes.

“Sophie’s gonna be so jealous,” he announced, and Aster chuckled.

“I’ll visit later,” he promised as Baby Tooth flew by to land in Jack’s hood, squeaking and chattering happily as Jack reached up a hand to stroke her feathers.

“You better get home before you miss dinner,” Jack told Jamie who sighed.

“You’ll come by soon though?” he asked, and Jack glanced at Aster before nodding. Jamie darted in to hug Jack who hugged him back and waved at Aster before jogging home.

“Ready to head home?” he asked once Jamie was gone and Jack nodded, moving closer to him and Aster opened a tunnel.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack lay in the grass as Aster painted some eggs, his fingers stained with paint from where he’d been helping. He was…tired which was weird. He hadn’t done anything that would drain him enough to make him sleep. He blinked slowly, feeling sleep pulling at him, knowing he was safe with Aster working close by. Jack’s eyes closed as he lost the fight.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster glanced over and was surprised to see Jack was fast asleep. It was a lot easier to see when he fell asleep while breathing since the freezing cold frost didn’t form around him thankfully, though it did still get colder. It felt good, that Jack trusted him so much that he would fall asleep beside him. Every other time he’d fallen asleep it had been due to utter exhaustion or outside forces. He was dressed just in pants and shirt, hoody and light weight but warm shoes set aside, they were more like ballet slippers than proper shoes to give him more flexibility considering his habit of perching on top of his staff and telephone lines.

Jack was doing a lot better now and he knew that the kids acceptance of how he’d changed had helped. First Jamie and then the others who he’d told before they saw Jack so no one would be asking if Jack was blind. Jamie…reminded him scarily of a young Jack and he looked a lot like him and even little Hope too. It made him curious. Was it possible? Sadly, he’d lost track of the family over the centuries due to wars and family members moving away. Could the Bennett kids be descended from Hope’s children?

He was being careful of his actions around Jack, he didn’t want to crowd him, but he also didn’t want Jack to think Aster considered him fragile or damaged. The last thing he wanted to do was set off a flashback either, especially to the decade he’d only just begun remembering. It was part of why he was taking things very slowly, Jack hadn’t had the chance till now to deal with what the Snow Queen had done to him. Jack actually sought out physical contact though but considering how physically different he was to her it wasn’t too surprising he had no trouble with being held. Nuzzling and kissing were fine too but nothing more, not until Jack had more time to come to terms with everything. It was nice, going to sleep every night with Jack in his nest, even if the younger male didn’t sleep, he still rested. It meant he was right at hand to help if Jack did doze off and wake from a nightmare of his time with the Queen. Hopefully this nap would be nightmare and memory free.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack looked around in confusion, he was in the Warren…he knew this place. “Mother Nature?” He nearly jumped when she appeared before him, looking him over, and he fought the urge to fidget or move away.

_“You have returned, good,”_ she told him.

“You didn’t bring me here?”

She smiled slightly, shaking her head. _“Your powers are growing, even if that was accelerated by your fighting the Snow Queen.”_

“Is that why I look different?” he asked, and she nodded. Well, that was a relief, it was good to know it was a natural effect of his growing powers and not something She’d done to him.

_“The Snow Queen is not what she should be. She has allowed power and greed to corrupt her. She targeted you because she knew that you would be a threat to her.”_

“But if she hadn’t taken me I never would have paid any attention to her,” he argued.

_“You would not have helped your fellow Winter Spirits?”_

Oh… he sighed but nodded. “Guess so.”

_“I cannot arbitrarily remove her from her position, even with what she has done. She has not challenged me or endangered Winter.”_

“You want me to stop her? Even with the Guardians and a small army, they had to retreat.”

_“You would not face her Court; I can ensure that it a battle between the two of you alone. She is Winter, should you beat her, you will become Winter in her place. If she survives I shall strip her of her powers, rendering her human, with no memory of our kind. Be warned, so long as she is the Snow Queen, she will not stop targeting you.”_

Jack wanted to say no, to forget all about Her, but that wouldn’t do any good. Sooner or later she’d come for him again, either with a new method to control him or to kill him. He had far too much to live for now to let that happen. “I’ll do it.”

_“I shall summon you both in three days, make your preparations.”_

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack slipped away from the Warren to go to his lake to think. He knew the Guardians would want to know about the upcoming fight, but they’d only worry. Mother Nature had promised it’d be between the two of them, no one else there. It meant he could cut lose and not worry about hurting anyone at least. He’d never seen the Snow Queen actually fight so he had no idea what she could do but he figured she was more powerful than him, she was Winter after all. If he won…he’d be Winter.

Would the others be able to tell? What would it mean for him? Would he change more? She may be shaped like a human but her looks…well he’d seen enough pictures of ‘fae’ and ‘aliens’ over the centuries to wonder if some of the artists had glimpsed Spirits. Would he still be able to be a Guardian if he was Winter? Would…would Aster still let him stay in the Warren? In his nest? He hadn’t slept in his own room since being rescued, he’d tried once, and it hadn’t ended well. Thankfully, Aster never complained, seeming happy to share, even if Jack didn’t sleep.

Then there was Baby Tooth, if he died, what would happen to her, the first ‘Frost Fairy’? it’d been a month since Tooth had called her that, and sure enough her appearance had begun changing, nothing major so far, just her colouring. The once golden feather on top of her head was now silver and the green feathers were shifting towards blue. She also seemed to be gaining a greater tolerance for the cold which he was very grateful for. She would not be happy with him going off to fight without her, but he’d rather face her wrath than have her anywhere near the Snow Queen again.

No matter what it took, he had to win. Not just for himself but for everyone who believed in him, for those who had spent centuries suffering under her rule, and for any future Winter beings.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster frowned, something was…off about Jack and had been since…since his nap in the garden. Something was definitely up, but Jack was trying to hide it. He waited until they were settled for the night, Baby Tooth had her own little house made by North and decorated in wintery colours set up in Jack’s old room to give them privacy thankfully. “Jack, what’s goin’ on mate?” he asked, and he felt Jack stiffen slightly. “Come on Snowflake, talk ta me, please.”

He was worried, the last thing any of them wanted was for something to set Jack’s recovery back. He’d been doing a lot better lately, ever since the kids had accepted him and dragged him into a very late season snowball fight, laughing and playing, showing how much they trusted him.

“It’s…”

“It’s not nothing, something has you worried.” He gently squeezed the arm he had around Jack, not to restrain but to just remind him he was there for him, no matter what. He gently nuzzled the top of Jack’s head since that was all he could reach with Jack lying with his back to Aster’s chest.

Jack took a deep breath, a hand coming up to rest on Aster’s arm. “Would…would it change things if…if I was Winter?” he asked softly, almost too softly but Aster’s hearing was excellent, perk of having such large ears.

If he was…the Snow Queen was Winter though, wasn’t she? So how could Jack be? Though he wasn’t yet from that question. “You’d probably be busier, wouldn’t have as much downtime in the summer since technically you’d be in charge down south too,” he offered. Jack wasn’t relaxing at all and he figured it out, sometimes he was a bit slow on the personal stuff. “You’d still be you and that’s what matters.” He tugged at him and Jack hesitantly rolled over, cautiously looking up at him with colourless eyes. “I don’t care what title you have, and the others won’t either. You’d be a far better Winter than that witch.”

“Mother Nature is setting things up for tomorrow. I don’t know if she’ll physically take me or I’ll fall asleep or what.”

“Jack, what’s she planning?” he asked in concern.

“A fight, between the two of us for the position. It’s as far as she can interfere because despite the horrible things she’s done, she’s still playing by the main rules.”

Aster tightened his grip, the thought of Jack fighting the Snow Queen… “You come back, you do whatever it takes, and you beat her.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack stepped onto the grass and stumbled, panicked eyes meeting Aster’s for a second before it all faded away. He blinked, leaning on his staff until the dizziness faded, finding he was definitely not in the Warren anymore. Immediately his heart fell silent, readying for the coming fight. He turned to find Mother Nature standing untouched on the frozen plain, a seriously angry Snow Queen nearby.

“You think this child can defeat me?!”

Jack lifted his chin, glaring defiantly back at her. He would beat her, he would.

_TBC…_

_Shorter I know, but it felt a good spot to leave it._


	15. ch15

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 15**

Aster stared at where Jack had been a second before and swore. There was no way to know where Mother Nature had taken them, though the South Pole seemed the most likely since it was frozen and mostly uninhabited. Maybe somewhere in Russia or Siberia? He could try to go after him, use his Tunnels, but she wanted the fight to be one-on-one which meant she’d stop him from interfering.

She had no authority over him, despite most considering him a Spring Spirit. He wasn’t, technically. He was the Easter Bunny and while his powers could seem to be tied to Spring, they weren’t, he just had some powers in common with the season. He’d never bothered to correct assumptions and neither had she or Ostara, the current Spring. Still, it was better not to get on Mother Nature’s bad side. If anything happened to Jack though… he was a Guardian, the Snow Queen had been mad to take him once that was known. No Guardian had ever died, if Jack did, what would Manny do? What would they do?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack dropped, rolling away, before taking to the air, sending a blast of electrical ice her way. The sky was black with storm clouds, sleet coming down around them, mainly the Snow Queen since he’d been the one to call the storm. She was good but his powers seemed to be better suited for outright weather manipulation. The temperature was far below freezing though it didn’t affect any of them. He did wonder what the various human satellites were making of what was happening, how confused the weather people were.

He had the greater range, but her attacks were vicious and did a lot of damage as she wielded long knives made of ice. Letting her close made him nervous, every time she’d had him, she’d done her worst when close. Mother Nature was staying out of it, just watching, and he knew she’d done something to ensure they couldn’t leave until it was finished. He shifted his grip on his staff, he couldn’t lose, he had too much to live for.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

She cradled Baby Tooth close as the little fairy fretted, not that Tooth blamed her. Aster looked calmer but anyone who knew him could tell him he was close to panicking. It had been two days since Mother Nature had taken Jack and there’d been no word. The only thing giving them hope was the massive storm raging over Antarctica, one that looked a lot like the one Jack had used against Pitch.

If Jack lost she’d be dusting off her swords and getting back to full fighting form and then the Snow Queen would regret ever being born. She didn’t even have to look at the others to know they’d be right there with her. Losing Jack would kill Aster, maybe not literally, but he’d lost so much over the millennia. They may not have said anything to anyone, but it was quite clear to her that they loved each other, that was the only way Jack could have been freed from the shards. She doubted they’d done much with that knowledge though, not with Jack still recovering.

They watched the globe as the image of the storm raged over the southernmost continent and then there was a flash of light, the globe returning to normal.

“What happened?” Aster demanded.

“It’s over,” North answered but who had won?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Beira looked down at the battered form on the ice, smirking as she held the blade to his throat. She had won, of course. Had Mother Nature really expected anything else? Jack may be powerful, but he was a child compared to her. She traced the blade across his throat, seeing him try to shift away from the lethal edge of ice. “A pity, you would have been my greatest General,” she told him, and he glared at her.

“You’re a monster,” he spat, and she laughed.

“I am Winter child and Winter is cruel, not fun. She shifted her grip on the blade, ready to slit his throat and then she blinked in confusion. She looked down and her eyes widened as blue blood spread over the front of her gown, seeping out from around the wooden staff that emerged from her chest. How?

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack shoved her arm aside and scrambled away, getting to his feet, staring at the sight of her with his staff lodged through her chest. He’d been practising that for ages, trying to get it to work, all he’d needed was a life threatening incident apparently. It was lucky she’d been between him and his staff so that when he’d called it…well. He swallowed and then called to it, watching it rip free, flying to him and he grimaced at the blue blood on it but wrapped his hand around it. Despite being dead at the moment, he felt like he was going to be sick as he watched her collapse to the ice.

“Congratulations Jack Frost, the Winter King,” Mother Nature announced, and Jack bowed to her. She surprised him by reaching out to touch his cheek. “You have done far better than any could have dreamed at your creation. Go, the Guardians are worried for you.”

Jack stumbled as the world blurred, falling to his knees in exhaustion.

“JACK!” Tooth...that was Tooth.

He collapsed forward, unconscious before he hit the floor of the Workshop.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster lunged, barely catching Jack before his head slammed into the wooden floors.

“Infirmary!” North called but he was already heading for it.

He carefully set Jack down on a bed, tugging his clothing off, seeing the dark blood staining the cloth. Thankfully, the wounds had frozen over, stopping the bleeding before he could lose too much blood. He was gently pushed aside by the Yeti who went to work cleaning Jack up and inspecting his injuries.

He jolted as a heavy hand settled on his shoulder, looking at North who smiled at him. “He is alive and back with us Bunny, he will heal.”

“He killed her,” Aster grimaced. “He’s never…”

“He probably has, when under her control,” Tooth pointed out gently even as Sandy moved to sprinkle dream sand over Jack in an effort to help, though he was currently unconscious and not actually asleep.

Bernice soon approached, the female Yeti giving a rundown of his injuries. Nothing that was life threatening thankfully but added all together they were rather serious. He hadn’t lost too much blood since the wounds had frozen and he was in his dead state with no pulse to cause the blood to flow. They had cleaned and bandaged the wounds, not stitching them since he would actually heal better without them, if his heart began to beat then they would consider stitches for the deeper wounds depending on how much they had healed by then.

Aster sat beside him and put a hand on his chest, offering his own healing energy to help. He’d done it, Jack had won and come back to them, to him.

,,,,,,,,,,

Sandy watched Jack, glad he was now sleeping, chest moving with slow breaths. His sand was working now, ensuring Jack slept deeply and with happy dreams. He was very happy Jack had won, he would be a far better Winter than the Snow Queen and he had them to support and help him.

He had known Jack for most of the younger Spirits life and he would not have been happy if Mother Nature’s plan had caused his permanent death. Jack had even told him he remembered seeing him one early morning when he was human and Sandy remembered that, it explained why Jack had looked familiar. It was sad that even with the recovered decade of memories, he didn’t remember Sandy from his early life as a Spirit, but that was because it hadn’t been Manny who had hidden those memories, they had been fully removed by the Snow Queen. At least Jack knew he’d had a friend, that he hadn’t been alone in those early years, other than the first fifteen anyway.

He patted a cold hand and then left; he had a lot of work to catch up on. His sand could work without his direct oversight but not for more than a day or two.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack slowly opened his eyes, recognising the Workshop Infirmary immediately. What had…oh…he’d done it, he’d won. She would never hurt him or anyone else ever again. He wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about that yet.

There was something soft…warm, he turned his head to see Aster asleep in a chair beside the bed, hand covering his, head on the mattress in a way that made him cringe in sympathy. He lifted his other hand and reached over to run his fingers through the soft fur on top of his head. He’d thought his fur was soft before, but it was far softer than he’d ever imagined before Mother Nature and Grim had given him his gift. having fully functioning nerves was wonderful, especially since he could turn them on and off as needed.

Aster stirred under his hand, lifting his head, looking confused, but then his eyes widened. “Jack!” the sheer relief in his voice was a bit worrying.

“I’m okay,” he told him, turning his hand to hold the one that had been resting over his. Holding hands was a little awkward, what with Aster having fewer fingers than a human and a different shape to his hand, but it was doable.

To his surprise, Aster leant in and kissed him, and Jack was happy to go along with it. it showed just how worried Aster had been for him, he wasn’t one for public displays of affection beyond ruffling Jack’s hair or leaning against each other. While they were alone at the moment, the door could open at any second. Aster pulled back, resting their foreheads against each other.

“She did a number on ya Jack. If you’d had a pulse, it would have been iffy,” he admitted, and Jack winced.

“It was a tougher fight than Pitch,” he’d never actually fought a, well, a pitched battle against him. It had all been quick fights really, except that last one but even that had been nowhere near as long as the battle with the Snow Queen. And he’d only faced Pitch without any chance of backup that once in Antarctica. He shifted and Aster moved back, letting Jack sit up. He ached a little, but it wasn’t too bad.

“How do you feel?”

“A little achy but nothing too bad,” he answered honestly, stretching cautiously. “How long was I out?”

“Two days, your heart started up about nine hours after you arrived.”

Jack nodded, looking around, spotting his staff leaning against the wall nearby. It looked like someone had cleaned it off thankfully.

“North cleaned it up for you. The blue liquid…”

“She bled blue,” Jack whispered.

Strong, fur covered arms, wrapped around him, drawing him in against Aster’s body and he went willingly. He knew Bunny worried about causing flashbacks to her assaults on him, but they were so different that he never had trouble accepting his touch. They were so different in so many ways that Jack didn’t think it would ever be an issue. He liked being held by Aster, there wasn’t that much difference in their height, when his ears weren’t included, well okay it was almost half a foot difference but since he rarely kept his feet on the ground it didn’t feel like that much. He was however much bulkier, though it was pure muscle and fur. It made being held make Jack feel totally surrounded and safe, like nothing could get to him.

“Can you tell me about it?” Aster asked gently.

Jack took a deep breath, one hand gently gripping Aster’s fur, and then he began to speak.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

North looked up at the sound of footsteps, relieved to see Jack walking with Aster, leaning on his staff but on his feet. Would it be crass if they had a party? They were celebrating Jack’s survival and new title after all. That the Snow Queen was dead was simply…a happy coincidence. As much as he would like to hear of Jack’s triumph, he would not ask, let Jack speak of it only if he wished to. She had taken so much from him, they would not let her take anything more, they would support Jack however he asked and needed.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack lay back on the grass, Baby Tooth resting on his chest, enjoying the warmth and light. It had been three days since he’d woken post-battle and tomorrow he would be returning to somewhere he had never wanted to see again…there was no other choice. They would know she was dead, know there was a new Winter, though not who it was. Would her death undo what she had done to them all? Or would the remain with their emotions dulled, many with missing memories like his own. How many had been given the final kiss and would her death free them…or were they bound so tightly they would be dragged into death with her?

He didn’t want a Court like she’d had, the thought of being tied down somewhere made him shudder. She had craved control, being worshiped by them all, obeyed…he didn’t want that. Winter should be fun, free, a time for the world to rest and recuperate before the new life of the coming Spring.

Blizzards had their place in nature, he knew better than most how winter could kill, he’d frozen/drowned after all. He was work mates with the Grim Reaper! He had covered the winters of both world wars, had seen the horrors winter had brought to the battlefields but even then, they had still managed to find enjoyment in the small things.

He knew the Guardians would be there to support him, but he had to face the Court alone or else he would appear weak and that would be far more dangerous.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

She kept a careful watch on Jack as he recovered. She hated that he’d had to face the Snow Queen alone, without her, but she also knew she would have been a liability. No one was going to stop her going with him to the Palace though. She would support him as he took his place as Winter! If any of those nasty Spirits tried anything she’d poke their eyes out with the needle she’d kept from the battle!

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tooth listened as her fairies reported to her. They travelled the world every night and through all weather, they really were her eyes and ears to the world. Though she had been working more to get into the field herself since the battle with Pitch. She would never forget the sight of them fighting alongside the elves and googies to save them all either. With the Snow Queen dead and Jack recuperating, they were watching things very closely wherever it was winter, or even autumn, looking for any signs of trouble.

So far all was quiet, but it wouldn’t last. She was expecting this winter to be bad and hoped the others had realised too. This would be the time for the Winter Spirits and Sprites to test Jack, to fight against his authority, especially when he worked to curb their ‘fun’. Creatures like the Wendigo, who the Snow Queen had encouraged to exist, would likely find themselves becoming an endangered species. They were disgusting, sad in a way, but horrific. She knew Jack didn’t tolerate them because two of her girls had seen him dealing with one once, several decades ago. They’d been a bit awed by the fight, not that she blamed them after seeing him fighting Pitch and the Nightmares. It wasn’t just his teeth that had her girls swooning over Jack.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

They moved about their preparations quietly and efficiently. The Guardians could not go with Jack, not unless he wished to be seen as weak. Nothing said they could not go with the boy, after all, if not for North, the Snow Queen would have ensured they were under her dominion too. And they had much to make up for when it came to the new Winter. They had thought him a trouble maker and so had kept him from the Workshop, if they had known the truth, given him a chance, then how much better would his life had been?

That was the past, now they would support him and fight if needed. They all knew North would agree. The only issue was working out who would go and who would stay to keep working, they all wanted to go but their work was important, Christmas was approaching fast and there had been a lot of disruption with Jack’s kidnapping.

_TBC…_


	16. ch16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m putting a pole up for my Guardians fics on my ffnet account, please vote. I’m considering redeeming Pitch in one and want opinions on which fic it could happen in; Death’s Winter, Not Quite a Mirror Image, Winter’s Frost, or a new story.

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 16**

Aster looked up as Jack joined him, dressed in the loose clothing he wore to bed. Tomorrow, Jack was going back to the Winter Court and he refused to let any of them go with him. He understood why, Jack had to claim his position without it seeming like the Court would become part of the Guardians or something. The thought of Jack going back there…

“It’ll be okay,” Jack whispered before kissing him.

They’d gotten the hang of kissing each other which was very nice. He felt Jack’s hand stroking through his fur, and it felt nice too. He was shocked when Jack straddled him. “Snowflake?”

“You aren’t anything like her Aster,” Jack answered before pulling his shirt off, revealing even more pale skin.

He didn’t care about how Jack’s body had changed due to her interference and it was good to know it would have happened naturally, eventually. He gently touched Jack’s chest, feeling his heart pounding. “Jack…”

“Don’t you want me?” he asked shakily.

“Your heart is racing mate.”

“I’m not scared or flashing back or anything,” Jack swore. He shifted on top of him and Aster blinked, oh. How hadn’t he realised? “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, how long it’ll take to get things under control. I want this, please.” He ran his hands through Aster’s chest fur, and he shivered.

“Okay,” he agreed. “Never actually done this with a human before,” he warned, and Jack nodded. “Any time you want to stop, just say, and we will,” he promised. No matter how sure Jack was at the moment, that could change. They’d take it at Jack’s pace. It had been a very, very, long time since he’d been in a relationship too.

Jack kissed him again, leaning over him, and he steadied him by gripping his hips gently. Eventually, he began gently exploring the smooth skin, finding Jack’s body totally hairless, then again with the changes to his skin, it wasn’t all that surprising. He hadn’t really paid attention to that before, that was all. When Jack lifted up to wriggle out of his pants, Aster helped. He’d seen him in varying stages of undress over the years, but never fully naked, not like he was now. Jack blushed at his perusal but didn’t try to cover himself or put a stop to things.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack couldn’t help blushing as Aster looked him over, he knew how different he looked since his kidnapping. He wasn’t sure why Aster was attracted to him, but he definitely was from the look in his eyes. He’d told the truth, he wasn’t scared, but he was nervous. His only experience had been with her and while he knew from catching sight of a few couples how it should work between two human males, they weren’t human. Jack might look human, but he was a Spirit, he was Winter now, he’d been dead for centuries and was now partially alive…who knew how his body worked.

He rocked against Aster, happy to see he obviously liked it. He did it again, getting into a rhythm. The feeling of warm fur on his bare skin felt incredible and Aster was obviously enjoying his efforts too.

“Jack…” Aster groaned, and Jack stopped.

“Am I doing something wrong?” he asked, and Aster shook his head, stroking Jack’s back and he couldn’t help arching into his touch before being tugged down into another kiss. The touch moved down his back, ever lower, and he jerked slightly at the odd sensation. The touch immediately withdrew, moving back up his back.

“Sorry,” Aster whispered, and Jack shook his head.

“It just felt strange.” But it also made sense, very different to anything he’d had done to him with her. He wanted to be with Aster however they could be. “Can we?” he asked, and Aster blinked at him.

“You sure?” he asked, and Jack nodded.

“I want to try, please. I…I just don’t know how,” he admitted. “I’ve seen…”

“Shh, it’s okay Jack,” Aster kept stroking his back. “We’ll figure it out together mate.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster watched Jack sleep, the new Winter King breathing softly, face peaceful, as he law in his arms. He honestly hadn’t expected that, not so soon, and especially the way they had done it. he had thought that Jack would want it the other way around, to be in control, but while Aster had let Jack control things, he had chosen to have Aster inside of him…something she wouldn’t have done. Was that it? He had wanted it that way because it was very different to what he would have done with the Snow Queen?

It had taken some trial and error and a bit of awkwardness, but they’d worked things out eventually. In the end, it had been really good, to be so close to someone he loved. He wanted that every day, but it wasn’t possible. Jack would be leaving for the Winter Court soon and who knew how long he’d be gone. Even beyond that, they both had their duties to attend to, though Jack was the one whose work took him all over the world all year around. He was gone a lot more than Aster was but that was the way things were. Hopefully, once he had the Court all worked out, Jack would be needed less. After all, the Snow Queen had pretty much never left the Court, not that he could see Jack doing that even if he did find Spirits he could trust, Jack was also a Guardian and he loved playing with the kids.

Jack stirred in his arms, humming softly and Aster pressed his chin to the top of his head, nuzzling at him.

“Go back to sleep,” he whispered, stroking his side.

“Bun…?” he mumbled.

“It’s too early,” he assured him, and Jack pressed closer, going still again.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack stared at the image in the mirror, was that really him? He was still getting used to his changed appearance but the clothing…

“You look amazing,” Aster told him as he moved in behind him.

“I don’t look like me,” he argued.

“It’s just clothing,” Aster assured him, wrapping an arm around his waist.

Just clothing…he’d never worn anything like it! the outfit had arrived from the Pole, curtesy of the Yeti. White silk and fur with silver and blue mixed in, his own chosen colour mixed in with that of the Court. The outfit was formal but also designed to ensure he could move easily on land or in the air. He glanced at the box on the counter and grimaced.

“Is that necessary?”

“Maybe not for us, but for them? They’ll expect it Jackie,” Aster reminded him, and he sighed but nodded. Aster opened the box and drew out the crystalline circlet within, gently settling it on Jack’s head. He’d vetoed a full crown at least, not wanting something so pretentious or like what she had worn.

“I look ridiculous,” he grumbled, and Aster chuckled.

“You look like a king,” he rubbed his chin over the top of Jack’s head, and he leant back into him. “Be careful,” he warned.

“I promise,” he turned to hug Aster tightly and then leant up for a kiss. “I’ll come ho, back,” he quickly covered what he’d almost said.

Aster smirked at him. “You’ll come home.”

Jack blinked. Home…it had been so long since he’d had a home. He swallowed hard and then nodded. “I love you,” he whispered and then bolted.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster stared after him, blinking, and then he smiled. He hadn’t expected to hear that from Jack, not for possibly years, not after everything he’d been through. Pity he’d run off as soon as he said it. He shook his head and then went around tidying up before getting to work for the day.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack appeared before her throne, ready to throw up an ice shield, but the room was silent. He looked around and grimaced, moving to the side of the Yuki-onna who was sprawled at the bottom of the stairs to the throne. He carefully rolled her over, checking for any signs of life, finding something very faint. He hesitated but then carefully reached out for her magic with his own, feeding a trickle of power to her.

Slowly, she began to strengthen, stirring, even as Yeti appeared and Jack looked up at them. “Why are you here?” he asked in confusion, blushing slightly at the answer that they had wanted to be there for him since they were technically Winter too.

He glanced down at a soft noise and saw dull eyes staring up at him. “Can you hear me?” he called gently. He…he knew her. She had been the one to patch him up and take him back to his room when he was injured in training, at least until the Queen had taken him to her bed. “What happened?”

She didn’t answer, just staring through him, and he swallowed. “We need to find everyone else,” he told the Yeti who quickly spread up to search even as Jack lifted her up, carefully laying her on the dais as he tried to work out what was wrong. Of everyone at Court…she had been the kindest to him, even when they both barely felt a thing, and he’d never even learnt her name. He brushed long white hair off her face, trying to sooth her if she was aware, trying to work out what was wrong with her.

Within minutes the Yeti were returning, some carrying almost lifeless Spirits and creatures. The entire Palace was silent, the occupants either deeply unconscious…or worse. Jack stared at them in shock and horror.

And then there was a commotion at the doors, and he looked up to see two Yeti supporting a Mahaha supported between them. Not one he had seen at Court during either of his ‘stays’. He’d never actually seen one at all in his travels across the northern lands. Most considered them something of a joke, who killed by tickling someone to death? And they weren’t exactly the brightest either, easily tricked.

Jack approached and it stared at him dazedly but more aware than any of the others. “Do you know who I am?” he asked, ignoring the creepy grin on its face.

“K…ng…”

“What happened?” he asked, and then listened carefully.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aster was shocked when he felt Jack enter the Warren, quickly putting his tools aside and heading for where he had entered, finding him sitting on a bench in front of their home…and yeah, he got a kick out of even thinking that phrase. “Snowflake?” he called in alarm, seeing his slumped posture.

Jack looked up at him, revealing icy tears on his face. “Aster.” He got up and threw himself at him.

“It’s alright, I’ve got you,” he promised, holding him tight.

“They…” Jack shuddered.

“What happened? Are you hurt?”

Thankfully, he shook his head. “The Court…they’re all dead or unresponsive,” he choked out. “Her magic…”

“Oh Jackie,” he whispered. Okay, he wouldn’t put that past her at all. He wouldn’t shed a tear for most of them, she’d collected those that would have revelled in violence and death even without her urging. But he doubted they were the only ones there. “It isn’t your fault,” he promised. It wasn’t, Mother Nature had arranged the duel and Jack had no way to know what would happen with her death.

“I don’t even know her name but…she was the first one I found. She…she used to patch me up after training, was as kind as she could be with her emotions numbed. She’s alive but…”

“Shh,” he kissed the unruly hair, rocking him gently. “We’ll take a look, yeah?”

Jack nodded and pulled back, taking his hand and then they were in the throne room. It was warmer than last time thankfully, because of her death or because Jack was now King?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack stood in the snow, watching the last body fade away. The living were being cared for by the Yeti after North and Aster had looked them over. No one was sure if they would recover or not and even if they did, if the effects of Winter’s Kiss would wear off or not.

Winter’s Kiss…he hated it…and he knew he now had that power. Why? What was the point to it? Why would Mother Nature even give anyone that power? He didn’t want it. He’d never use it…would he? He…he could see a use for numbing a mortal to the cold, he’d come across people over the centuries that had died from the cold because he couldn’t help them. But the rest of the powers that came with it?

“Alright Jack?” a heavy hand clasped his shoulder and he looked up at North.

“No,” he admitted and North nodded, squeezing gently.

“We will help however we can. For you and because it is right. So much death is not good, could unbalance the Season.”

Jack nodded; he was worried about that too. He may not like the nastier Spirits and creatures associated with Winter, but many did actually play a role.

,,,,,,,,,,

North watched Jack go back inside and shivered, it was warmer than their last visit but still cooler than the Pole. Jack had no desire to be Winter, to be King, but now the role was his and North knew he would do his best for all of his people. To have so many dead or in the condition they were would hurt him, even if he did not know them or agree with what they did. Jack had a kind heart, sometimes too kind.

Had this always been the plan for him? Had Manny brought him back as a Winter Spirit to take the Snow Queen’s place? Or had it just worked out that way? Then again, the Grim Reaper held an interest in him as well. Pitch too if that recruitment offer had been real. Jack drew others to him, and a King needed that kind of charisma. That didn’t mean he wished the boy would have had more time to grow as a Guardian first.

Once they had helped him fix things up with the Winter Court, then North would find a way to give Jack a vacation, Bunny too. It was obvious things were progressing there and he was happy for them. They both deserved to be happy.

_TBC…_


End file.
